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jessicaloons · 5 months

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Chapter 21:

I had the shiniest wheels, now they’re rusting…

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"You’ll be driving?" Charles voice sounded muffled "From Neuburg to Spielberg?"

"Yeah, it’s not just me, Felix as well. We’ll do a little road trip, maybe we put cameras in the car, conversations between a team principal and his driver." I chuckled a little, searching for my socks in my suitcase.

"I know your road trips. It’s just old music and you singing along. Or Taylor Swift and you singing along." he panted and then I heard a loud bang "Fuck."

"What are you doing? Are you okay?" I asked sitting down on the bed, putting the phone on speaker, laying it next to me, to pull on the socks.

"I’m dressing up. I overslept and now I’m late." Charles said "And I have your socks."

"I noticed, because I have yours… I don’t like them." I mumbled grabbing my sneakers, slipping in.

"I don’t like yours! They’re so thin! And too small." he said and I chuckled.

"Well and yours are too thick! And too big!" I said and he laughed.

"Whatever. So. Spielberg. You’re driving with Felix. Tomorrow, early in the morning?" Charles said.

"Yup. And just so you know, we’ll be listening to good old Classic Rock! Singing along. Dancing." I said and got up, walking over to the mirror to cover up my jaw.

"You definitely need a camera in there!" Charles laughed "Oh, and talking of cameras, Netflix will be with Ferrari this weekend."

"Ooouuuh! Sorry Mr. Drive to Survive." I said.

"Ha-ha. Very funny. It’s a little sad that they weren’t with you last weekend! That would’ve been an amazing episode!" Charles sighed and I packed my make-up away.

"I mean… they filmed me once or twice before. They just never were officially in our garage? Audi is not fancy or prestigious or successful enough I guess. Although Julie told me they want a special episode or something just with me, but I said we’re a team, so that’s not gonna happen!" I plopped down on the bed.

"Hmm. It could be interesting, an episode about you? To give some insights of the life of a female F1 driver? Maybe talk about how hard it was as a girl? Maybe that attention would help girls in motorsport?" Charles retorted.

"Great. Now I feel bad that I turned them down." I sighed and he chuckled.

"I’m sure Julie could talk with them, I mean if you really want to!" he said and I shrugged my shoulders.

"If it’s focussing on girls in motorsports and how tough it was to make it into F1? I’m in. Everything to help promote girls in motorsports!" I should had to talk to Julie.

"That’s the spirit!" I heard a car door slam shut "Wait a second, I won’t hear you when I start the engine and my phone connects to the car… can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear!" I got up and grabbed my bag, leaving the hotel room "You’re having a meeting with Mattia first, you said?"

"Yeah, Mattia and Laurent as far as I know… I kinda know what it’s about…" he said hesitantly.

"It’s about us, right? About what Laurent saw?" I almost whispered.

"I guess so, he didn’t say anything the whole weekend, so I guess he told Mattia and now we’re having the talk." Charles sighed a little and I felt bad.

"I’m sorry… if we wouldn’t keep this a secret you wouldn’t have to have this meeting now.” I said as I left the hotel.

"Stop it. I’ve seen what they write about you… us! Us as friends… I get it, okay?" he said immediately and I got in the car "But I’m here now…"

"Okay, then- umm… good luck? I don’t know what to say, to be honest!" I leaned my head back, closing my eyes.

"You don’t have to say anything, cara mia. I’ll call you later, okay? I love you! Bye for now!" and with that he hung up.

"I love you too." I whispered and started the engine, driving off the parking lot to the Audi facilities.

When I arrived at the gates I was surprised to see a little group of fans waiting for me and my heart warmed. One of the securities was trying to wave me through but I stopped the car and got out.

"Hi guys! What are you doing here?!" I asked them and they began to cheer.

"We’re here for you! You won! Congratulations!" a young girl screamed and the rest of the little crowd cheered even louder.

"We were hoping that you come here today!" a guy said and I smiled at them.

"You guys are awesome!" I honestly didn’t expect this.

"Can we take a picture with you?" another girl asked an I nodded.

"Of course! I would love to!" I stood next to her and posed for a selfie with her.

I took a lot more selfies, signed shirts, caps, poster and flags. I talked with every single person and didn’t wanted to make anyone feel left out. All while holding back tears. Of course I saw some fans at the races here and there, even knew about some fan accounts on Instagram, but I never expected fans waiting outside our factory for me. Almost like the Tifosi wait for Charles in Maranello. And I received a whole bunch of new bracelets, a scrapbook and even a doll, that looked like me. I was overwhelmed with their outpour of love and support.

"Okay you guys, huddle together I want a picture with all of you guys!" I said and the little crowd all squeezed together, I handed the security guard my phone and he took a picture "Thank you all so much! This means the world to me! I love guys! Have a safe trip back home, okay?!" I said and got back in my car.

"Kick some asses in Austria! Have a good race weekend!" they all screamed and I smiled at them.

"I will do my best! See you guys!" I waved one last time and drove through the gate, parking right next to where Felix was waiting for me.

"Lizzie! You’re late!" he opened my door for me and I smiled sheepishly at him.

"I’m sorry! I kinda lost all sense of time there…" I grabbed my phone and got out of the car.

"So you saw your little mob of fans waiting for you?" he said and closed the door of my car. I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah! How cute was that? God I love them! How long have they been waiting?"

"I have no idea. A while? But now come on in, we’re really late and have a lot to discuss!"

"Okay?" I said hesitantly, following him through the faculty, he unlocked a large door with his keycard and as soon as it opened a whole bunch of people applauded, Marcus being one of them.

"What is going on here?" I asked surprised.

"Well we wanted to give our race winner a very warm welcome!" Julius Seebach, CEO of Audi Motorsports smiled at me, shaking my hand "We’re all very proud of you, Lizzie! You and Valtteri have been representing us so very well! Right now we’re in P4 in the constructors! Only 8 points behind Mercedes! As a new team! Great job!"

"It wasn’t just me, or Valtteri, it’s this whole team! Every single one here! This is our win!"

"I don’t like sprint races…" I mumbled and Charles laughed.

"I’m not the biggest fan either, but it’s like this."

"Quali on a Friday feels weird." we walked towards the pits as someone shouted my name.

"Lizzie! Oi! Wait for me!" I turned around and Paul came running up to us "Hi! I thought we could walk back together?"

"Umm? Sure?" I said a little confused and Paul smiled at me, looking at Charles.

"I think we haven‘t met yet? I’m Paul. And you are…" he extended his hand towards Charles who shook it once "I’m just kidding! Of course I know who you are, Carlos!"

Charles clenched his jaw and opened his mouth to answer "I’m just messing with you, Charles." Paul laughed and slapped Charles on the shoulder.

"Very funny." Charles pressed out then turned to me "See you after quali? Good luck out there!" he pinched my side gently and I smiled at him.

"She won’t need luck! You Ferrari boys need it!" Paul laughed even louder and Charles looked at him and I thought he was contemplating what he should answer, but he just nodded and walked away.

"What was that?" I looked at Paul who just shrugged his shoulders.

"I’m just messing around. I didn’t know that he was so… so uptight?" Paul laughed and started walking.

"He’s not uptight."

"Okay. Noted. Carlos is the funny one out of the Ferrari guys!"

"What?"

"I had a laugh earlier with Carlos… Charles maybe is just not getting my type of humour…" he held up his hands.

"Well, yeah I didn’t get it either then." I said and walked away.

"Lizzie! Wait!" he grabbed my arm "I’m sorry, okay? I was really just joking! I’ll go and apologise to him?"

"No, it’s okay. But keep this kind of humour to yourself maybe from now on?" I said firmly.

"Promise!" he said and I nodded, walking to JK.

"Can we warm up a little?" I said and walked past him.

"Sure?" JK followed me back outside "What’s going on?"

"Nothing." I grumbled and JK adjusted the rubber bands around my head "All is good."

"Alright. I won’t say anything. But you know…"

"I can talk to you if needed. I know. Thanks."

Qualifying went good, really good, setting the second fastest time in Q1 and the third fastest in Q2. But then came Q3. Or rather the, according to Paul, funny one out of the Ferrari boys.

"Did he just overtake me in the fucking pit lane?"

"Yeah. He did."

"What the fuck? Did he never hear of the Gentleman’s agreement?"

"Apparently not. No."

I drove out on the track, starting my out lap, warming my tyres when Carlos began to drive slower in front. Then accelerated again just to brake again.

"What is he doing? I can’t warm my tyres like that?"

"Just keep going."

"Is someone coming from behind?"

"Hamilton, Max, Perez. Fast laps."

"How far away?"

"Don’t overtake him."

"But…"

"Lizzie. Hamilton behind. Closely followed by Max and then Perez. You can’t overtake before they all passed you."

"Yeah but then I’ll be almost in the last corner. Do I have time for a second out lap?"

"Negative."

"FUCK. Verdammte Scheisse! Sorry!"

"It’s okay."

It wasn’t okay. Far away from okay. Because of Carlos I couldn’t get enough temperature in my tyres and now I had to try and set up the fastest lap with only half warmed tyres. I watched as Carlos in front accelerated again and did the same. Pushing as much as possible as soon as I crossed the line and started my last attempt on a good grid position.

"And that’s P5."

"Ok."

"P1 Max. P2 Charles."

"P3 and 4?"

"Perez and Sainz."

"Awesome." I laughed. What else could I do. At least I wouldn’t have to start on the same side of the track. I could try to overtake him right at the start, before he could try to pull some shit again. I drove back into the pits. Climbed out of my car, congratulated Max, Charles and Checo, then did my weighing. I saw Carlos behind, joking with Lando and gritted my teeth.

"Walk off." Jo Bauer said in German and I looked up "Just walk it off." I nodded and he smiled a little, before the almost stoic look on his face returned. I did what he said and walked back into my garage, where my team waited for me.

"We will talk to the stewards. I’ve never seen a driver impeding another driver during their out lap. But still." Felix said but I shook my head.

"Don’t. I’m not whining and bitching about everything, like he does. It’s okay. I’ll do the talking on track."

"Are you sure?"

"100%."

"Hey Lizzie. You’re starting from P5 in tomorrow’s sprint race. Not the result you hoped for, after a strong Q1 and Q2?" ESPN Spain.

"Yeah. I mean, I had a certain red car in front of me, making my life not the easiest. But it’s okay. P5 is not too bad."

"There was a little squabble between you and Carlos, what happened?"

"What happened was that there is an agreement and someone decided to not give a fuck. And then someone decided to deliberately slow me down during my out lap, so yeah warming the tyres didn’t work out as planned."

"Carlos said it’s a gentleman’s agreement, so it applies only to gentleman’s."

"What?" I was 100% that I misheard it. I had more downs than ups with Carlos. But this? This was a low blow. I swallowed. "I mean, I thought it was an agreement between all drivers. Regardless of their gender."

"What is in for you tomorrow?"

"I don’t know. But as long as I’m in front of car number 55, I’m considering it a win." I shouldn’t have said that. I should not have said that. But fuck it I was furious.

"Are you out of your mind?" Julie groaned as soon as we left the media pen "Goddamnit Lizzie! You’re giving me a big fat headache and it’s only Friday! For fucks sake!"

"I want to see his interview after our meeting." was the only thing I said and walked off.

I kinda felt like it was a set up. Like the interviewer wanted to rile me up. Carlos wouldn’t say something like that in front of the cameras, right? Except that he indeed said it. I replayed the interview over and over.

"You didn't follow the gentleman's agreement there with Lizzie?"

"Yeah because it's an agreement between gentleman's…" emphasis on the man. And he laughed. Laughed.

"You’re kidding me, right? You did not say that! In front of a camera! You’re not that stupid!" Dad walked into my driver room, looking livid "Lizzie Doetterer! You know that if you just breathe into his direction tomorrow he will whine about it and use this interview against you!"

"Uh-huh… I know. It was a trap. And I was too blind to see it. ESPN Spain. How stupid can someone be?" I groaned and leaned back "I just know that there is a shit storm brewing up on social media."

"Then don’t read it! You have to be careful in the race tomorrow! He’s starting in front of you! Don’t let him make you do anything stupid! Stay calm! Leave him enough space! You know that he’s the first to complain!" Dad sighed and sat down next to me.

"Do you think we can leave? Or does Felix want to have a word with me alone? He was pretty calm and collected during the strategy meeting…" I looked at him and he chuckled.

"No, he said it’s fine. Well not fine. But it’s okay. We can leave." Dad got up and I grabbed my bag "

I turned on the shower and got in, sat down on the floor, hugging my knees up to my chest and laid my head down. The warm water cascading over me. I was tired. Exhausted. But more from the games the media still tried to play with me, than with anything else. The Spanish press has set their target on me. The questions on Thursday. Then today. And I played right into it.

"Good fucking job." I groaned.

"Lizzie?" Charles walked in and looked around, before he spotted me on the floor of the shower "Shit! Are you okay? Did you slip?" he opened the shower door and stepped in.

"I’m okay! I’m just sitting here! I didn’t slip, or trip or fall! I just sat down!" I assured him and Charles nodded.

"Okay! Good." he got up, his clothes soaked.

"Take them off and come in." I smiled up at him and he didn’t need to be asked twice. In an instant he closed the shower door and sat down next to me, lifting me into his lap.

"Hi." he kissed my shoulder, pushing some wet strands of hair out of my face "Why are we sitting in the shower?"

"I was too lazy to stand? I just wanted to sit under the water and relax a little? I know, I know. What a waste of water…" I nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck. He chuckled a little and I felt the vibration in his chest.

"We’re saving some water by me taking this shower with you instead of us doing it separately!" Charles stretched his arm out and grabbed my shampoo and conditioner in one go. Before he reached out for my shower gel "Here, let me…" he carefully carded his hands through my hair, entangling them, then squirted some shampoo in his hand and began to gently massage it into my scalp. He worked the shampoo down my lengths and then kissed my forehead before he tried to rinse out the suds "Can you grab the shower head? The stream from the rain shower isn’t strong enough. Perfect. Head back. There you go." He continued his ministrations until all the shampoo was gone, then he worked some conditioner in my hair and bundled them together at the nape of my neck, reading the back of the conditioner bottle "90 seconds… okay. I didn’t see you after quali?"

"Yeah I tried to leave quietly…" I mumbled.

"Hmm. It was a dick move from him. From overtaking in the pit lane, to slowing you down and then saying that shit in his interview…"

"I still shouldn’t have said that! It was a trap! He wanted to get a reaction out of me! And stupid me did just that!"

"You’re not stupid! It was in the heat of the moment and that reporter took full advantage of that!"

"Yeah and I played right into his cards…" I sighed and Charles grabbed my chin, tilting my head up, to look at him.

"Guess what? You’re human? You have emotions and sometimes they’re getting the better of you… don’t worry about it! Please?" he smiled at me, pouting a little and I nodded "Merci, mon amour." he kissed my cheek and grabbed the shower head again, washing the conditioner out.

"You’re next!" I said and grabbed my shampoo, massaging it into Charles’ hair and scalp.

"Mhhh I’ll smell like you." he whispered and his warm breath fanned over my ear, making me shudder. He chuckled a little but let me finish washing his hair, then I used only a couple of drops of conditioner and worked it in his hair "My hair will be just as fluffy and shiny as yours! People will start to wonder why my hair looks this amazing tomorrow!"

"They will ask you what products you’re using." I joked and he laughed.

"My girlfriends… and then they all go crazy, because I’m using women stuff!"

"I think they would go crazy because you dropped the bomb that you’re not single anymore."

"Possible… but nope I think it’s the hair products."

"Idiot."

"Hey!" Charles pinched my side and began to tickle me, holding me tight with his other arm to his body, no matter how hard I tried to wriggle out of his lap "Okay stop…" he let out a breathy groan and I grinned, feeling exactly what was bothering him "Stop looking at me like that!"

"Like what?" I pouted a little and he groaned again, grabbing my waist, holding me down to stop me from moving. I felt his hard length press into my thigh and grinned "Seems like you’re having a little problem."

"Little?" he scoffed.

"Big? Huge? Gigantic?"

"Better."

"If it helps you sleep better at night…" I teased but regretted it instantly, his hand dipped in between my legs, my breathing hitched.

"Seems like I’m not the only one who has a little problem, no?" his eyes darkened as I quickly shook my head, trying to gather myself when his next move elicited a soft moan from deep within me. I pulled his face closer, breathing ragged. "Say it." My eyes widened with every flick of his fingers. "Just admit it…"

"You’re not the- the only one…" I breathed out.

"That’s what I thought…"

"Charles…"

"Hmm?"

"Please…"

"I got you, pretty girl."

"Not at all creepy." Charles groaned as he opened his eyes and I chuckled.

"What? In romance books and movies it’s always cute, watching your boyfriend sleep."

"Yeah no. It’s not. So stop."

"So you never watched me sleep?"

"I did."

"And?"

"You’re adorable. Always having a cute smile on your lips, then that smile turns into a thrown and you scrunch up your nose and eyebrows, just to smile again… and your cute, little snores. Adorable!"

"I’m NOT snoring!" I tried to slap his arm but he caught my hand mid flight and pulled me onto him in one swift move.

"Yes you do, just every now and then. And so adorable! It’s the cutest!"

"So, you watch me sleep and it’s adorable? I watch you sleep and it’s creepy?"

"Uh-huh! You got it!" he kissed my cheek, working his way down my jaw before he stopped, eyes widened "Fuck! Lizzie!" he sat us both up, switching the light on "Fuck! Why didn’t you say something?"

"What are you talking about?" I was confused.

"Your jaw! Fuck! I was too rough, I’m so, so sorry!" he looked ashamed and it dawned on me "I grabbed your jaw way too tight! It’s bruising already! Why didn’t you say that I hurt you?"

"Because you didn’t! Okay? Look at me, Charles. That wasn’t you! It’s all good! Look closely! It’s already healing, they’re not fresh! Look here, my wrist as well…" I showed him my wrist and his eyes widened.

"Who did this to you?" his voice dripped with anger and worry.

"Two little monsters… when we were having a tickle fight… sometimes they underestimate their strength a little and the fact that I bruise pretty fast didn’t help! You know how my thighs and arms used to be sprinkled with little bruises from Liam? Him grabbing my arms, or trying to stand in my lap? When he was a little munchkin?" I laughed and Charles took a deep breath.

"Did it hurt?" he tilted my head up a little to look at my jaw "How did that even happen? Were they holding you in a chokehold?"

"No, it didn’t hurt and it was more me grabbing Liam trying to do a wrestling move and him just grabbing onto something to not fall… nothing bad at all, no pain, no nothing!" I reassured him as best as I could.

"Why didn’t I see the bruises before?"

"Make-up? And my wrist? I don’t know?" I shrugged my shoulders and got up.

"Okay… but I think I have to have a word with these little rascals…" he laid back, checking his phone.

"Please don’t, they will feel bad and I really don’t want that! Nothing happened, it didn’t hurt, so we just should keep it like that…"

"You’re right… but Lizzie? If I ever hurt you or be too rough? You’ll say it, right?" he looked at me intently.

"Of course… but I like it… you know…" I smiled suggestively at him and disappeared into the bathroom.

As soon as the door was closed I took a deep breath. Blaming Liam and Benji was so wrong and I felt bad. But it was the only lie I could come up with fast enough and Charles seemed to believe it. At least now I didn’t have to cover it up first things first in the morning. I sighed and began my morning routine, getting ready for the day, when Charles walked in.

"Look at my hair, from now on I’m only using your stuff, cara mia." Charles carded through his fluffy locks and I smiled.

"You look just like a dream, pretty boy. My stuff is your stuff. And now hurry up, we have an eventful day ahead of us!" one last kiss on his cheek and I walked out.

After the free practice I grabbed myself an apple and a bottle of water and met up with Charles to watch Arthur’s sprint race.

"He’s starting from P9?" I asked Charles as we watched the cars line up again after the formation lap.

"Yes. I really hope he has a good race!" Charles said and I nodded along.

"I have a good feeling!"

"Then I trust your feelings!"

We watched with anticipation the race start and how Arthur overtook 2 cars right at the start.

"Good job!" I cheered and Charles next to me clapped excitedly, as we saw the yellow flag being waved, both checking the huge screen in front of us "What happened?"

"There at turn 3, a car stopped… oh safety car." Charles pointed at the screen.

"Oh, as long as it’s not Arthur…" I mumbled and I could see Charles smiling a little.

As soon as the safety car was ending and the race started again we watched how Arthur fought his way to the front lap after lap.

"He’s in P5 now! He can do it! He can make it on the podium!" I jumped up and down.

"Yeah if he stays focused like this!" Charles leaned forward as Arthur breezed past us. He fought hard with his teammate, Bearman, and another driver, Maloney, and the three of them went wide, at the corner exit of turn 3 Bearman and Maloney touched which resulted in the latter to retire and brought out another safety car.

"This race is stressing me out more than our races!" I looked at the screen again, that showed a replay of the incident, Charles pulled me to his side nudging my shoulder a little.

"Don’t stress too much, you have a race of your own later." he chucked as we watched how the safety car came back to the pits.

With 7 more laps to go and Arthur now in P4, his fight with Colapinto for P3 was on. IT was a back and forth but in the final lap Arthur had passed him and due to a lock up from Colapinto managed to gain a little space between them, making him taking the checkered flag in P3. Charles and I jumped excitedly up and down, hugging each other.

"He did it!" we both screamed and we happily made our way to the barriers where Arthur would park his car any moment. Rene Rosin and some of the PREMA crew stood there, waiting for Arthur.

"Lizzie! Charles! Good to see you two!" he hugged as both happily "He did an amazing job! Fantastic! You can be proud of him!"

"He was amazing! What a race!" I said and watched how Arthur parked his car, jumping out, pumping his fists back and forth. As soon as he spotted us at the barriers he ran up to us and Charles hugged him close.

"Amazing race, Arthur!" he said and patted his back before he released him and I hugged him tight.

"Fantastic job, Arthi! We’re so proud of you!"

"Thanks guys!" Arthur said, his voice muffled through his helmet. I let go of him and he hugged his team.

We watched how Arthur got his trophy and cheered the loudest as a reporter from Sky walked up to us.

"Charles, Lizzie. A word to the race and your brother’s result?" he asked.

"It was an exciting race, for sure and we’re proud of Arthur, finishing in P3." Charles smiled wide.

"He did an amazing job, a good race from him. It always feels special watching the F3 and F2 races, knowing that’s where we were a couple of years ago ourselves." I smiled.

"It gives these young drivers maybe even a little hope, seeing F1 drivers watching their race?"

"I mean, if we made it, they can make it as well!" I said and Charles nodded.

"Thank you guys! And good luck in your own sprint race later on!"

We smiled and left, making our way back to the paddock.

Charles POV:

"Charles? Hey?" Andrea pinched my arm and I flinched "Ready to warm up?"

"Yeah…" I watched how JK and Lizzie warmed up for the sprint race, Paul sitting on a table watching them. The way he eyed Lizzie’s every movement. Undressing her practically with his eyes. I hated him.

"Well then?" Andrea sighed and sat down "What is going on with you?"

"What?" I asked, eyes still trained on Paul, who now stood next to Lizzie, his hand on her arm, laughing. Why was he always touching her? Andrea followed my look and chuckled a little.

"You know that she loves you more than anything? You don’t need to be worried!"

"It’s not her I’m worried about… it’s him! I hate him." I groaned and Andrea got up and patted my back.

"Trust her. That’s all you can do. And now come on!"

"Yeah, yeah. You’re right." I sighed, one last look at Lizzie and Paul. Lizzie looked up as if she felt my eyes on her and she smiled at me, that smile that was only meant for me, her eyes sparkling, cheeks slightly pink. God I loved that smile. Loved her.

"Charles? A word?" Mattia waved me over and I put down my helmet.

"Yes?"

"About the race… no more about Lizzie."

"What’s with her?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"You heard what she said yesterday?"

"You heard what Carlos said? Saw what he did?"

"That’s not the point." he rolled his eyes.

"It kinda is." I retorted.

"Charles, she’s mad and we both now her good enough that she can be reckless. So if Carlos manages to overtake Perez and Lizzie manages that as well and is behind Carlos again, we want you to switch positions. To protect Carlos."

"You’re kidding? Right? Lizzie might be reckless, but she’s not stupid? She wouldn’t do something that could potentially end her race as well! And why do I have to give up my position? I’m fighting with Max! I can’t focus on what’s going on behind me!"

"You focus on Max, of course! But if we see that you can’t catch him, then we must protect Carlos, you will switch back positions in the last lap."

"And does he know that, too?" I walked away, grabbing my helmet.

Unbelievable. They really thought that Lizzie would be this stupid? And not just that. They wanted me to give up my position to protect Carlos? As if Lizzie was out for his head?

"Charles? Ready?" Alessandro said and I nodded.

But was I really?

"Stay away from Sainz! You hear me? Stay away. Try to overtake him at the start, right away. Don’t get into any stupid fights!" Dad said and I rolled my eyes "Lizzie!"

"Little one you know he’s right! It’s Sainz! You will just be wheel to wheel and he will whine! They have a solid reason to believe that you’re out for his head!" Felix tried to reason with me.

"I got it, okay? I stay as far away from him as possible!" I groaned and grabbed my helmet, nodding to Matt "Don’t worry! I’m not that stupid!"

Until I was.

After I overtook Carlos at the start, he attacked, aggressively. More than once pushing me off the track. But I didn’t retaliate and now he was in front again. After clipping my front wing.

"Lizzie 9 more laps to go."

"How’s the car?"

"It’s okay."

"He pushed me off! I was in front! Way ahead! And he pushed me!"

"We saw that."

"Is it under investigation ?"

"Not as of now."

"He did that move at least 3 times! And I always backed down!"

"We know."

"Fucking hell."

I was furious. I was keeping my calm. Not fighting back because I knew they would bitch about it in no time. But they’re not even having a look into the last laps incident? He didn’t brake at all, clipped my front wing, still not backing down? I accelerated. If he can drive dirty. I could too. Although I had to do it cleverer. I was at his tail. DRS enabled. I got one last gulp of slipstream and pretended to overtake him from the outside. Just like anticipated he wavered onto the outside as well to block my attack and I braked hard to switch sides, going down the inside. The good old switcheroo. As I was almost ahead he steered into me, forcing me into braking. But not this time. I backed down time and time again. This time I wouldn’t. I pushed the throttle fully through and we went wheel to wheel, I pushed hard and felt the contact, felt how I hit the kerbs hard, felt the car tumbling but was able to keep it on track, forcing him to brake to prevent more damage. I was ahead, speeding away. Fuck yes.

"Gap to Sainz?" I radioed but no answer.

"Gap to Sainz?" I repeated.

"1.8"

"Good." Out of DRS range, 6 more laps to go. I will finish ahead and that would be a P4 I could live with.

"Lizzie. You’ve got a 5 seconds penalty for causing a collision."

"Of fucking course."

Actions have consequences. And here they were. Served in the form of a penalty. After being pushed off the track, getting my front wing clipped. Without whining and bitching. Without my team asking the racing director why his attacks weren’t under investigation.

"Gap?"

"2.1, his front wing is damaged."

"How many laps?"

"5"

"Gap now after every lap."

5 more laps for 3 seconds. I did more back in F2. Full focus now. Hitting the apex of every corner perfectly. Late braking. Using the kerbs. It was possible.

"3.5"

4 more laps for 1.5 seconds. Easy. Done.

"3.9. Perez ahead 1.2"

3 more laps for 1.1 seconds. I could maybe even get into the DRS range of Checo.

"4.2. Perez 1."

2 more laps for 0.8 seconds. And I was almost in Checo’s DRS range.

"4.5. DRS Perez."

Bingo. Last lap. I used Checo’s slipstream, pushed as hard as I could. Made it in front of him, taking the checkered flag.

"Gap to Sainz, 5.1 seconds. You did it Lizzie. That’s P4. Wonderful job!"

"FUCK YEAH!"

"5 seconds penalty but still managed to stay ahead of Carlos, good job!" Timo Glock said as I went to have a little talk with Sky Germany after the sprint race.

"Yeah well, I tried my hardest to gain that position." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Why didn’t your team complain earlier to the stewards? He pushed you off 3 times?" Peter Hardenacke asked.

"I don’t need them to sort out my race. And apparently they didn’t want to do it anyways. So why cry about it?"

"Ferrari asked immediately after the fourth contact…"

"Yeah if they need to do that? If their driver can’t pass me without help? Let them. I was backing down 3 freaking times, got pushed off the track, had also a damaged front wing. But I was beating him fair and square. And like you said I managed to make up one position although I had a penalty. Good day in my books."

"Good day indeed! Good luck for tomorrow!" Timo said and I smiled.

"Thanks guys! See you!" I handed them my microphone and walked back into our hospitality.

"I’m proud of you!" Dad sat in the lounge scrolling through his iPad "You didn’t say anything too controversial. Oh what is that look… Lizzie?"

"I might’ve been a little petty when talking to Sky Germany. Nothing too bad. I promise."

"You’re giving me a heart attack one day!"

"Oh come on papa bear! You can handle it!" I laughed as Pete walked in "Quick debrief?"

"No. You’re summoned by the stewards." he said and I stopped laughing immediately.

"What for? They already gave me a penalty during the race?"

"I don’t know. Felix is already waiting."

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." Charles gentle voice coaxed me out of my slumber and I turned around, cuddling into him "I didn’t hear you coming back last night?"

"The meeting took forever and then I…" I stopped and sighed.

"And then you what?" he began to draw figure eights on my waist but I shook my head.

"I sat at the track for a while."

"Alone? At night?"

"Yeah. I wanted to get a clear head."

"Carlos? The FIA?"

"Everything. The last weeks were… a lot. That article. Hans death. Silverstone. Now this."

"We’re almost done with the first half of the season, mon amour. Then we’ll have summer break. Time to relax. Recharge the batteries. Time for us."

"I haven’t even thought about the summer break to be honest."

"But I have. The first week it’s all of the family together. The second week it’s us and our friends and the last week? Time for us. It’s all already planned, you don’t have to worry at all."

"You already planned it all?"

"I hope that’s okay?" he sounded unsure and I tilted my head up, looking at him.

"It’s perfect. You’re perfect." he kissed my head and checked the time.

"As much as I would love to stay here forever like this, we have a race to attend. So come on now, pretty girl. Shower, breakfast and let’s go."

"Lizzie?" Dad peaked inside and I looked up.

"Yeah?" I bent down again, lacing up my sneakers.

"Did Felix already tell you that there are some VIP guests here?" he asked and I sighed a little, getting up and checking myself in the mirror.

"Yup, he did. That’s why I applied make-up as you can see and why I took care that my braids look good… don’t worry, I’ll woo them." I rolled my eyes, grabbing my team hoodie and pulling it over my head, careful not to mess up my hair.

"What?" Dad looked confused.

"I mean, VIP guests? I thought I should look my best, represent Audi the best as possible?" I said and grabbed my phone and sunglasses "So I’m wearing the Audi sneakers, team hoodie, the Audi sunglasses, would there be an Audi jeans, I would wear it."

"Okay… I mean, you don’t look different then on any other race day but… anyways, let’s go." he chuckled a little and I followed him, good to know that all my efforts where for nothing apparently.

As we walked into the garage I saw JK and Sissy talking to a man and a woman, whose backs were facing me, I looked around, but couldn’t see Liam anywhere.

"Pops? Where is Liam?" I asked and he looked around.

"Ahhh! There she is! Lizzie, come over here!" Sissy said and I walked over to her as the two people she was talking to turned around and I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Hi Lizzie! It’s so good to see you again!" Susi Maier smiled at me and her husband, Marco, did the same. I was at a loss of words when someone hugged my waist and I looked down.

"Lizziiiiiieeee!" Luka had the biggest smile on his face and I felt tears stinging in my eyes, I bent down and picked him up. Held him tight to my chest. The images of him shellshocked on the street, the fear in his eyes when I tried to shield him off, his faint whimper when we came to a halt on the grass, the tears streaming down his face when he lifted his head up. It all came back.

"Luka? Wh- what are you doing here?" I asked and watched how his parents, Sissy and JK smiled at us.

"Your Dad called and asked if we want to come here, finally see you race in F1… of course we had to say yes!" Marco said and I nodded slowly.

"This is… the best surprise ever! Thank you guys so much for coming!" I sat Luka down, wiping the tears from my face. My heart was racing and I felt hot. Too hot.

"I thought you could show them around a little? Show them your car? I’m sure Luka would love to have a seat in it, right?" Dad said from behind me.

"Can I really sit in your car?" Luka asked with big eyes and I nodded, still trying to calm myself down a little.

"It’s so cool sitting in there!" Liam said as he walked in with Charles, sporting his all consuming smile, shaking hands with Susi and Marco, introducing himself.

"I’m so happy to meet you!" he said and Susi blushed a little, something her husband acknowledged, and gently put an arm around her waist.

"Is it allowed that a driver of another team enters the garage?" Marco asked, sounding really curious.

"Well, Charles is the only exception!" Felix answered as he walked up to us, patting Charles back. He looked at me intently and I knew that he could sense how overwhelmed I was, although I was trying to hide it. He walked over to me, gently cupping my cheeks and wiping away the last of my tears.

"Are you okay?" he whispered and I nodded slowly "If you need a moment?"

"I’m okay. It’s just… a lot. But a positive lot!" I smiled and he nodded, kissing my forehead "Careful, where not alone."

"I don’t care, not right now." he smiled a little and then stepped aside "If you need me, call, text, scream, whatever. I’ll be here! Okay?"

"Okay… thanks, really!" he only nodded again and walked away, not before ruffling Liams hair when passing him.

"So! Who wants to sit in my car?" I asked and Luka jumped up excitedly.

"Me! Me! Me!" he screeched and Liam tapped his shoulder and they ran off to my car.

I waved to the crowd when the flatbed was making his way around the track, watching how between all the orange here and there a Germany flag was waved. I watched how Charles got interviewed and had to smile at how he was so enthralled in talking about the upcoming race. His passion and love for racing was one of the many things I admired at him. The way his eyes lit up when asked about how he’ll manage to overtake Max and win the race. The way that fire in him brought out his raw competitiveness. I was so engrossed, listening to him that Seb had to wave his hand in front of my face. I blinked confused and looked at him.

"Earth to Lizzie… are you there?" he laughed and I shook my head.

"I’m sorry! I was lost in my thoughts…" I said and he cocked his eyebrows, turning slightly to look at Charles.

"Lost in the pretty boy, you mean…"

"Yeah… I mean look at him? You can’t blame me…" I chuckled and he nodded.

"So, the kid running around with Liam? He’s the one…" Seb began and I nodded "Is it the first time you saw him after?"

"Kinda… they came by when I was in the hospital. But then they moved to Australia, where Marco had a new job. We texted every now and then… then they moved back home and with me racing now in F1, there was just not enough time I guess?" I explained and he scratched his beard.

"Nice that they’re here, supporting you. The kid and Liam seem to get along pretty well?"

"Yeah, which is weird? Liam is… well he’s a bit difficult when it comes to other kids? But him and Luka?" I smiled. It was true. Finding new friends was never easy for Liam. Being way too hyperactive, but also very sensitive, other kids mostly ended up being deemed no friends. Seeing him getting along with Luka that well, really made me happy.

"Pretty girl? What are you thinking of?" Charles whispered into my ear and I flinched a little "Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!"

"It’s okay, I was thinking about Liam and Luka because Seb… where is Seb?" I looked around, Seb now getting interviewed, looking at me and laughing a little.

"You’re a little out of it today? I mean after…" he began and I just nodded "It’s okay. You can’t always have everything under control."

"When do I ever have anything under control?" I sighed and he chuckled.

"Lizzie, another podium today for you, it’s your fifth podium in your eleventh race, you had a pretty good first half of a season for a rookie. How does that feel?"

"Fifth? Umm- okay. How does it feel? Unreal? Unbelievable? I honestly have no words for how amazing this season is going… the team works so hard for Valtteri and me, hours and hours of hard work in the factory. Everyone here at the track from the logistics guys, to the mechanics, engineers, media guys, strategists, god the amazing caterers! Everyone works so incredibly hard! I’m just more than proud to be a part of this team! I will be forever thankful for the opportunity, the trust, Felix and the whole Audi team gave me… so yeah, that’s how it feels. Fucking amazing!" I said and Charles smiled at me, eyes bright, after his fifth win today.

"Matthias Bircher, from Auto, Motor, Sport. Question for Lizzie, you’ve been penalised and fined by the FIA yesterday, once for the collusion with Carlos during the sprint race and then for your interview after quali on Friday. Do you think these punishments were justified? You didn’t seem to care much about it?"

"I honestly think it’s ridiculous. I’m getting fined for being mad about the very sexist comment of another driver, doesn’t matter if he said it as a joke, in that moment it wasn’t one, while he’s not being fined? Then I get a penalty for having the upper hand while overtaking? Whereas he pushed me off track 3 times before, clipping my front wing? Without a penalty? And then reporting back to the stewards that I deliberately crashed into their driver, because I said it beforehand that I would target him? When did I say that? So no, I don’t think any of that was justified, but you were right. I didn’t care much for it."

"Laura Killigan, motosport.se . Question for Charles and Max. What do you think about the penalties? Do you think they were deserved?"

"No. They weren’t deserved. I understand why Lizzie said what she said? Not just that it was a low blow, even if it only was meant as a joke, it was also something that happened at quali. He overtook her in the pit lane and then kinda impeded her on her final out lap. I totally understand that Lizzie was furious! So if you want to fine her, then Carlos should be fined as well. As for the sprint race, I saw the replay and must say I wouldn’t give a penalty for any of the incidents? But if Lizzie get’s one, Carlos again should’ve been penalised as well. They were both fighting hard." Max said and looked at me.

"I think Max said everything there is to be said. Punish both or no one. The way it was handled was unfair." Charles put his microphone down and tilted his head in my direction.

"No more questions? Alright, that’s it. See you all in two weeks at Paul Ricard. Thank you!" Tom Clarkson ended the press conference and I jumped up.

"Will you guys make use of your right to appeal the decisions?" Max asked when we walked back and I shook my head.

"Nope. We’re not doing that. I don’t want this farce going on longer then needed. It’s 10.000,- Euro and 2 penalty points. We accept it and it’s done."

"But it’s unfair. Ca- umm Lizzie! You really should appeal!" Charles said, clearing his throat at his almost slip up.

"I understand you, it’s annoying and takes up time you could use otherwise." Max shrugged his shoulders and I nodded.

"Exactly!" I groaned and Max hugged me as we stopped in front of Red Bull.

"Chin up and don’t care. You let your results speak for yourself." he gave Charles a little pat on the shoulder and was gone.

"I’m sorry that Ferrari were behaving like… well yeah like that." Charles mumbled a little and I bumped my shoulder into his.

"It’s not your fault. I finished ahead of Carlos in both races. That’s a win in my book. Now cheer up a little. We’re having a little celebration tonight." I smiled at him and he nodded, hugging me tight.

"I really can’t wait for tonight… especially if you wear that little, black dress I’ve seen in your suitcase… you’ll look gorgeous!" he whispered in my ear and I blushed a little "See you later, cara mia."

The whole drive from Neuburg back home I only had one thing on my mind: Netflix. A three part mini series. Drive to Survive Originals: The story of Lizzie Doetterer. I honestly had no idea what to think about it. They wanted to highlight my way from karting over Formula Regional, to GP3, F2, then to WSeries and finally into F1. How hard it was as a girl coming this far. The challenges I had to face. But they also wanted to see my private life, past and present. How could I provide that? There was already enough of my private life splattered out for the world to see. What were the boundaries? Did I have a say in what was filmed? What would make the Final Cut? I had the words of the Netflix representative in my head "Think about the money." I never really cared for the money? Why would I now? Mum, Dad and Rita handled all my money related business. I was deep in thoughts when Charles called.

"Hey pretty boy."

"Hi cara mia, you sound exhausted?"

"Tough days. I’m just happy to go home now." I sighed a little.

"Oh I know that sigh. What’s going on?"

"Netflix."

"Netflix?"

"Netflix!"

"Cara mia I need more than that?"

"Drive to Survive Originals: The story of Lizzie Doetterer. A three part mini series."

"Sounds amazing. I would binge it." Charles chuckled.

"The motorsport side of it? Yeah… but the “who is Lizzie Doetterer outside of racing? The person behind the lid?”- side of the story? I don’t know."

"So it’s not entirely about racing?"

"No. They want to show parts of my private life. Show me as an approachable, young woman. Who was oppressed half her life by male competitors. How it affected me as a person. How it affected my family and friends… they even want you and Pierre in it… because of our karting past!"

"Max?"

"He said a long time ago fuck off to them, so I guess no."

"Will you do it?"

"I don’t know. I don’t want to reveal the last remaining private parts of my life to Netflix and therefore the world…"

"Understandable. But the other aspect would be good. For every young girl with a love and passion for motorsport."

"Jeez! Rub salt in the wound…"

"Sorry, cara mia. I just think you maybe have to talk to them? How much of your private life they want to show. And how much power over the content they’ll show in the end you’ll be having?"

"Yeah, maybe you’re right. I’ll have a talk with Julie. Thanks… you really helped me."

"Always. So where are you right now?"

"Around 30 minutes away from home."

"You’ll be going with Liam tomorrow to that father-son-thing?"

"Well as far as I know, yes. He said it’s okay if I want to come. But I don’t have to. When I said I was excited he seemed to be a little happy. But Sissy texted me an hour ago that there were kids laughing at him because he’s taking me, his aunt, not even an uncle, instead of his dad… so yeah. I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to wait and see what’s his mood tomorrow."

"Why are kids so mean?"

"No idea. I just know that if he really doesn’t want to go tomorrow, because I’m a girl, I definitely won’t be mad at him… because that’s what he said to Sissy. He only said yes to me because he didn’t want me to feel bad… and now? I don’t know. I want him to go there tomorrow, head held high. Smile on his face with a proud attitude that he can have fun with everyone. But also I just want to stay at home with him and cuddle him and tell him it’s okay to stay at home if he doesn’t want to go with me, his aunt, a girl, to a field trip with only boys/men…"

"Tough. I’m really sorry. I wish I could do something."

"I think no one of us can."

"That sucks."

"You don’t say?"

"I don’t want to hang up, but Sylvia is giving me her evil look. I think they’ll need me."

"Alright. Call me when you’ve got time. Love you."

"I love you more."

I sat at the kitchen island, waiting for Sissy and Liam, as she walked into the kitchen, sighing.

"He’s definitely not coming out of his room…" she said and sat down next to me.

"What the hell did these kids say to him?" I asked and she shrugged her shoulders.

"I don’t know. He just said he doesn’t want to go anymore…" she looked defeated "I hate him, he doesn’t care for his son! He was suing me, trying to get his name on the birth certificate, Liam having his last name? For what? What if the court would granted him all his demands? He would’ve still fucked everything up and not be here for him! And now Liam refuses to go to this trip because it’s a father and son day! Whose idea was that? How insensitive are they?" I could see the tears prickling in her eyes and hugged her "There will be so many situations where he needs a dad, but he only has me!"

"We’ll manage it. He has all of us." I said and got up "And now I’ll get him so we can all be upset together." I left and walked up into their loft. "Bubba? Can I come in?"

"I’m not going on the trip!" he whispered, his voice hoarse.

"That’s okay, but can you come downstairs? We’re upset, you’re upset, let’s all be upset together? And maybe have some ice cream for breakfast?" I said and he looked up. Jackpot. "Come on, ice cream and movies?"

"Okay…" he nodded and took my hand and together we walked downstairs.

"Hey my baby boy… everything ok now?" Sissy asked him gently and he shrugged his shoulders.

"We’re having ice cream for breakfast!" he said and my sister looked at me with wide eyes "And we’re watching movies!"

"Umm yeah, sure…" she replied and I just grinned apologetically as I heard a car approaching, one look out of the kitchen window and my heart skipped a beat. I heard the car door closing and just a moment later Charles walked into the kitchen.

"Sorry that I’m late, but I had to stop at the petrol station. Ready, Bubba?" he said a little out of breath and Liam jumped into his arms.

"You’re coming with me? Really?" he asked and Charles nodded.

"Of course! Now come on! Get dressed!" he sat Liam down who sprinted away.

"You’re here?" Sissy asked with a thin voice, tears in her eyes.

"I‘m here!" Charles answered smiling at her and Sissy hugged him.

"Thank you, Charles! You have no idea what that means to me! No, what it means to him!" she whispered.

"I will always try to be here for him, no matter what!" he smiled and looked at me and I had to do my best to not cry.

"I’ll help him, we’ll be back in a minute!" Sissy said and followed Liam upstairs.

"Hey, cara mia." he whispered and pulled me into his arms, a gentle kiss on my lips.

"Thank you!" I just whispered and he hugged me tighter.

"Everything for you…" he said and I could hear Liam approaching.

"Did you see how high the platforms are, Charlie? That’s going to be so scary! But so cool!" he was the happiest little kid all of a sudden again, all because of Charles. With one last hug for all of us the two boys left and I waved them goodbye at the door, Charles smiling at me. How could someone be this perfect?

For the next 2 days straight we heard story after story of how great the high ropes course was. Liam was smiling that much, I was almost afraid he would be in pain by now.

"And then at the last platform, it’s the highest of all of them, you can decide if you want to be lowered down, or roping down or, and that’s only for the toughest ones they said, if you want to jump! And then it’s like free fall for a couple of metres before there is some kind of brake at the harness that you’re wearing! And guess what! They were all too scared! No one did it! But Charlie and I we were brave enough!" Liam beamed.

"Oh wow! That sounds so cool! Next time I want to join in!" I said and he nodded.

"We can all go! Maybe Omi and Pops not? They’re a little old…" he whispered the last part and Charles had to laugh.

"I heard that!" Dad shouted from the barbecue and Liam giggled a little.

"Ooopsie!" he jumped out of my lap and disappeared inside.

"You made him the happiest, coming here and going on that field trip with him!" Dad said as he sat down next to us.

"I needed it as well. A little break away from…" Charles began but then shook his head.

"What’s going on at the Scuderia?" Dad asked and I looked up from my book.

"The usual. Nothing to concerning."

"They were giving you a hard time… because of Austria?" I said and he nodded a little.

"They weren’t the happiest that I didn’t had Ferrari’s back when it came to your penalties… but I said that it was unfair what the FIA was doing. They kinda accepted it." he shrugged his shoulder and I sighed.

It hurt that Ferrari was turning into some kind of enemy. They were still the team my heart belonged to, the team that awakened my love for Formula 1. The team I celebrated big triumphs with. But more and more they turned into more than just a competitor. The rivalry between Carlos and I was topic number one in all F1 related blogs, podcasts and so on, over the past week. But it wasn’t just Carlos who agitated me. No it was Ferrari’s treatment of Charles. More so Mattia Binotto’s treatment of Charles. The strategy blunders? The unreliable car. Just too many mistakes, screwing Charles over more than once.

"Lizzie?" Charles threw a grape at me and I looked up "Where were you again?"

"Sansibar." I chuckled and he cocked an eyebrow "I was just thinking about… umm…"

"Netflix?"

"Netflix! I guess I really will have a talk with Julie…"

"What does Netflix want from you?" Dad chimed in and I realised that I forgot to tell my family about it. Charles was happy to fill him and Mum and Sissy who joined us outside in.

"That sounds amazing! Think about the millions of people you could reach? They all will know then how hard it was for you to make it into F1!" Sissy said.

"It would mean a lot to every girl who’s interested in motorsports out there." Mum agreed.

"But they want to film my private life as well? Imagine we’re sitting here. Having a conversation like this and there is a camera crew? It’s like the Kardashian’s thing? Am I supposed to sit here, eat a salad and talk about I don’t know what? While being filmed?" I really wasn’t sure about it.

"I would like to think we’re a little more interesting than the Kardashians…" Dad said and I had to laugh "Whoever they are."

"Funny guy." I groaned as Liam ran out of the house, handing Dad the phone.

"Someone for you. He said he’s a lawyer."

"Okay? Thanks Bubba." Dad got up and walked away.

"A lawyer?" Charles looked at me but I had no idea what’s going on, so I looked at Mum.

"Don’t look at me! I have no idea…" she held her hands up and I watched Dad closely. He talked for another 5 minutes until he hung up and came back.

"What’s going on?" I said as soon as he sat down.

"That was Hans‘ lawyer. The testament was opened and now they’re needing us to accept our share." he said and I gulped "We have an appointment tomorrow."

"Great." was all I could say, Charles took my hand in his and squeezed it gently.

"It’s in the morning, so you guys can leave as planned tomorrow night." Dad said and Charles nodded.

"You’re awfully quiet, cara mia?" Charles asked after we’ve driven for almost 3 hours.

"Hans was a freaking multi millionaire!" I exclaimed and he looked at me "Seriously. He set up trust funds for his two grandkids, really generous ones, then a large amount for his son. And the rest of his private fortune… well I get it. And then of course the karting track and all the business accounts? It’s a freaking lot! I spoke with Dad, we’re not selling the karting track. We keep it and he will take over the academy. Hans had a bunch of new ideas for the track and the academy and Dad will take care of it."

"But that sounds good, no? You don’t seem to be too happy about it?"

"I mean… Dad already sacrificed so much for me, he was only working part time to support me and travel with me. Now the academy? I don’t want him to feel obligated to do it?"

"Did you tell him that?"

"Yeah…"

"And?"

"He said he would quit his job and focus on the karting track 100%. Realise all of Hans’ plans for a complete renovation and modernisation of the track…"

"But that’s a good thing? If he wants to do that?"

"It is. It’s just… he will have all the work, all the pressure, all the stress! And still will try to be at as many races as possible! I’m just afraid it’s getting all too much for him…"

"Hmm. He just loves watching you race. But yeah maybe he should split his time then a little?"

"Can you tell him that? Because when I did, he just rolled his eyes and said he’ll be fine…"

"You want me to tell Pops what to do? Hell no."

"You’re a scaredy-cat!"

"I’m not, I just know that he won’t listen anyway."

"Maybe I could ask Mum to talk to him?"

"Sounds like a plan."

We continued our drive in silence and I slowly drifted off every now and then, although trying my best to stay awake.

"You can sleep, cara mia. I’m fine." Charles chuckled after I flinched again, gently slapping my cheeks to stay awake.

"No! I’m not sleeping when you have to drive! I’m awake!" I mumbled and yawned.

"Driving from Maranello to Ludwigsburg and then all the way back to Monaco really isn’t the best of ideas."

"You did it couple of times before."

"I know. And it was always when I had decided spontaneously to come. I wouldn’t plan it intentionally."

"Me neither."

I connected my phone to the car and Charles groaned a little.

"I want to stay awake and for that I need to sing… so come on, let your inner Swiftie out."

"There is no inner Swiftie."

"Oh please."

The next 2 hours were filled with me singing along to Taylor Swift and Charles driving, with a content smile on his face.

"You know what? I have an inner Swiftie in me, but only for you singing the songs."

"Oh come on."

"No I’m serious, I’ve told you this before and you never believe me. But I really love hearing you sing, anything, not just Taylor Swift."

"Charles, it’s sweet of you, but yeah no, I’m not a good singer."

"Let’s agree that we disagree on that one."

"Whatever." I looked outside, the sun beginning to rise around us "If you need to switch, I could drive for a bit?"

"I’m fine, but thank you."

"Do we have anything planned for today or tomorrow?"

"Nope. Relax, a little work outs here and there. And on Thursday we’re driving to Le Castellet."

"Alrighty. Two days doing nothing? Sounds too good to be true."

"We could take the boat tomorrow? One last little cruise."

"What do you mean?"

"What?"

"You said one last cruise?"

"I did?"

"Don’t try to play it down! What do you mean? Did you sell Monza?"

"Okay, this was supposed to be a surprise… I sold it, wait, and bought a new one. A bigger one… I called it Sedici and it’s currently being customised, it should be done by the end of this month…"

"Wait! When we just out of fun looked through the different interior designs of yachts and you asked about my opinion, that was not just out of fun, was it?"

"I might took in some of your ideas… and by that I mean most of your ideas…"

"Charles! Why a bigger one? Wait? How much bigger?"

"Just a little… and I thought that we could all hang out more together on the water… especially during the summer break…"

"Has this something to do with your mysterious plans for the summer break you’re not telling me about?"

"Maybe."

"Okay, keep your secrets. But yeah. We could take the boat tomorrow, have a little day out on the water, it’s been a while."

"Perfect."

"Hi Lizzie, yesterday in FP1 you had some problems to get the car in the right set up, in FP2 you couldn’t drive. Now P7 in qualifying. Not too bad after the problems you had?" Karun Chandhok from SkyUK asked.

"Yeah FP1 was just not it, im the car felt stiff and oversteery, so yeah it was tough and then we had the issues with our electric in FP2. And yeah FP3 wasn’t much better. But yeah P7 is okay. I can manage I guess."

"What do you think is possible tomorrow?"

"The track is not really suitable for our car, on paper at least, so yeah, we’ll see. But P7 is a good position, to maybe make up one or two positions."

"Carlos will start in P5 in front of you tomorrow, have you guys talked about last weekend? Will we see a fair battle?"

"We haven’t talked, for me there is nothing to say. I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to race, to win. I let my results speak for myself. And I will drive the same way I did last weekend.”

"Thank you Lizzie and good luck!"

"And that’s P6. Good race, little one" Pete radioed and I sighed.

"I tried."

"You did good."

"Valtteri?"

"P4."

"Awesome!"

I drove into the pit lane and parked my car behind Checo and got out of the car. I waited for Pierre and he pulled me into his side, walking towards the weighing.

"He’ll be a mess." Pierre said in hushed French and I nodded.

"I still don’t understand what happened? He lost the rear?"

"Yeah, let’s just hope it was the car…"

"And not his mistake? You’re right. He would be devastated…"

As I got my receipt I congratulated Max, Lewis and George.

"Hey Finnisher! Good race!" I hugged Valtteri and he patted my back.

"You too, little one! Thanks for opening up that door for me…" he chuckled a little and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah we went both a little off there." I shrugged my shoulders.

We walked back into our garage and I passed an awaiting JK my helmet, taking my bottle from him.

"What happened?" I looked at him.

"It wasn’t your fault, I mean you two touched a few times over the course of the race, yeah more or less within the rules, but nothing major. Nothing big. He hit a kerb pretty hard and then had an issue with his floor, that’s why he had to retire. You weren’t involved."

"What? No, not Carlos. Charles?"

"Oh… umm he lost the rear."

"No shit Sherlock! How?"

"Driver error."

"Fuck! Did you see him?"

"Only for a moment. He’s okay…"

"No he’s not. Can you stall Julie for a bit? I just want to see him. Couple of minutes only."

"Stall her? Julie? Stall Julie? How? She’s a menace!"

"I don’t know, flirt with her?"

"She’s married. I have a girlfriend."

"Tell her… tell her I’m having a shit."

"Sure Lizzie Räikkönen!"

"I don’t care what you tell her, just- just stall her okay?

"I’ll try my best…"

"Thanks, you’re the best!"

"Go now!"

I sprinted away, behind the garages, until I was at Ferrari. I couldn’t just walk in obviously, like Charles could into the Audi garage, so I had to wait for someone to come out. One of the mechanics I knew noticed me an I waved him over.

"Hey Lizzie, how are you?" Mauro asked and I smiled my most charming smile.

"I’m good! I just wanted to check on Charles? Can you maybe get him for me?"

"Oh, yeah sure! I’ll go and have a look!"

"Thank you so much!" he smiled and left.

As I stood at the side I saw Carlos Sainz sr. leave the garage, looking at me.

"Hola Señor Sainz." I nodded at him and he gritted his teeth slightly.

"Doetterer." he replied and walked off.

"Nice to see you too." I chuckled a little and looked back into the garage, where Mauro was talking to my favourite red head, who shook her head, walking straight to me.

"Lizzie." Sylvia said, awfully sweet.

"Sylvia." I replied, even sweeter.

"Charles can’t come. We have our debrief now, since both our drivers had to retire, we start a little earlier. You can see him later." her words were final and she left.

"And also nice to see you too." I sighed and walked back to my garage as a mad looking Julie already waited for me.

"Did you see your lover boy? Can we go now?" she chided and I nodded.

"I haven’t seen my lover boy, but yes we can go, my lovely Julie!" I smiled and she grabbed my arm.

"Come on now, and Lizzie? Please! Don’t be petty, or happy or malicious about Carlos' DNF, okay?" she urged me and I nodded.

"Got it."

"Tough race? Some hard battles there with Carlos? Just like yesterday in the Sprint race?"

"Yeah, we raced hard but fair. Touched here and there, but still all within the regulations. It was a fun battle."

"You were able to put some distance between Carlos before you had a little lock-up?"

"Yeah, that was my mistake. I was a little too greedy I guess. He came close again and we had another intense battle."

"But then Carlos went off. Without your input."

"Yeah I didn’t see him going off, he was gone and my race engineer told me then that he’s out."

"Overall a good weekend for you? Yesterday P4. Today P6. You said as long as you’re in front of car 55 it’s a win for you."

"I shouldn’t have said that in the first place, but yeah. Like I said, I let my results speak for myself."

"Any final words after this weekend?"

"I always was a huge fan of karma…" I had to. I couldn’t hold back. With a big smile I left, Julie next to me just shaking her head.

"I hate you." was all she said and I laughed.

"You love me."

As I walked out, I saw Charles leaning against his Pista, eyes hidden behind his Ray Bans, head hung low.

"Hey…" I said and he looked up.

"You ready to go?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"Yup." I answered and he opened the door for me "Thanks." he smiled faintly, closed the door and walked around the car.

As he got in, he started the engine and drove off of the parking lot, where loads of fans were gathered. Security holding them back, only on the right side the fans could approach the car and as they were all screaming for Charles, he sighed. I opened the window and the screaming got louder, I looked for a sharpie in my bag, grabbed some of the things they were shoving at us and handed them Charles to sign.

"We love you, Charles!"

"You’ll come back stronger!"

"Daghe Charles!"

"We believe in you!"

Nothing of it changed Charles emotionless face, he just signed the stuff and handed it to me, some fans were asking for my signature as well and I happily obliged to them. After 5 minutes the security guys waved at us and Charles nodded, he leaned a bit over and thanked the fans, I waved them goodbye, then he drove off.

The first 30 minutes we sat in silence. Charles right hand on the steering wheel, left arm on the window frame. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Okay, let’s talk about it…" I began, but he shook his head.

"I’d rather not." he said and I looked at him.

"Yeah well, you don’t always get what you want. So, what happened?" I said and Charles gripped the steering wheel with both hands tight "We have more than an hour to drive left and I don’t want this to be a monologue! So? Tell me, what happened?”

"I lost the rear, haven’t you seen it? I pushed too hard, wanted too much, lost the rear and the championship, all because I am stupid…" he said and I waited for more, but Charles stayed silent.

"Okay, so you wanted to win so badly, that you gave it your all, pushed the car too much and then lost the rear?" I asked and Charles groaned but nodded "Okay."

"Okay? That’s all you have to say? Okay?" he asked and looked at me for a second.

"What else do you want me to say?" I looked at him.

"You could say that I’m stupid, that I keep making mistake, after mistake, that I will never be a world champion because I’m not consistent enough, you could say that I’m just not good enough for Formula 1…" he begann but I scoffed "What?"

"No, go on, I’m sure you have a lot of other very nice things to say about yourself…" I looked out the window and we kept on driving in silence, the sky turning darker with every Kilometer that we got closer to Monaco.

"I’m just making too many mistakes, I can’t handle the pressure, Max doesn’t make mistakes like this, he’s consistent…" Charles said after a while.

"Charles, that’s not…" I began but he shook his head.

"No, Lizzie, it’s true, Max doesn’t make mistakes, he…" Charles began.

"But you’re not fucking Max Verstappen! You’re Charles Leclerc, who made a mistake today, a mistake that costed you a lot, but it did not cost you the championship! Goddamnit, Charles! Yes, today was your mistake. 100%. But you own up to it! You know you made a mistake. But the reason why you make these mistakes are not because you’re not good enough, or not consistent enough, or that you can’t handle the pressure. The reason you keep making these mistakes is that for some strange reason you still think that you have to prove yourself, you still think you have to show that you truly deserve your seat and that your good enough and that you think you have to be better to make your dad and Jules proud, and that lack of confidence in your abilities, paired with the insecurities you’re team is giving you by fucking you over every other race… yeah well, we saw what happened." I said and Charles didn’t reply, he just kept driving "You know what is good though? This is something you can change, something you can work on."

"And how? How do I stop making these mistakes?" he asked.

"Really simple, stop thinking too much about all this bullshit. Drive. Focus on what you’re best at. Believe in yourself. Push yourself to the limit but not above. Drive with the passion that brought you here all those years ago. Don’t do it for anyone else but yourself! And for fucks sake, Charles, start to be confident in your own abilities!" I said and he smiled a little. He reached his hand out and laid it on my thigh, gently rubbing it.

"Maybe you’re right, but still. Today was just… god I was so close…" he sighed.

"Oh pretty boy, the season is not over yet!" I smiled.

As we parked the car Charles switched the engine off and looked at me for a moment.

"God, I love you so much!" he said and launched at me, kissing me fiercely, igniting a fire running through my veins.

"Come on now, pretty boy. I’m hungry and tired!" I unbuckled my seat and Charles was already out of the car, opening the door for me, holding out his hand to help me out.

"And they say chivalry is dead."

"Not when it comes to you, mon amour."

Little Note:

Chapter 21 - there’s a rivalry blossoming 😬 (no hate towards Carlos, he just really makes a great antagonist).

Please leave a comment/ like/ reblog/ message and tell me how you liked it! I'm dying to hear your thoughts!

If you want to be added to the taglist, drop a comment!

Last but not least, English is not my first language and although I tried my best: please excuse any mistakes I made!

Taglist:

@silkenthusiasts @eugene-emt-roe @sunny44 @itsjustkhaos @glitterquadricorn @aundercover @kakorrhaphiphobia @alittlebitofbooksandmagic @ru-kru @glitterf1 @janeholt3 @maeve-wileyy @18754389 @queensassybitchsworld @chiliwhore

All the images I’m using are from Google, Pinterest and Instagram (or self made).

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atripandahalf · 1 year

Text

we are each waves and also the ocean

(ao3) (au link)

It was a quiet day in the neighbourhood, and Barnaby looked out the window from his kitchen. The sun was shining, it was about midday... and the neighbours were throwing a party?

part of my mlpth au for welcome home but can be read as standalone! please send me asks about this AU :)

tags: barnaby-centric, minor references to hello puppets, fluff

It was a quiet day in the neighbourhood, and Barnaby looked out the window from his kitchen. The sun was shining, it was about midday, and he had just got back from the shops, where Howdy was busy working. He was spending the early afternoon washing and preparing the fruit and vegetables he had just bought. The chopping motions were soothing, and it was warm enough that he could leave his window open. The neighbour felt like it bustled more than the farm back home ever did, with all its chatter and gossip, and its contact with the other local neighbourhoods. Plenty of people visited their neighbourhood, either to shop or to simply chat with the residents and so there was always noise, the space always lively, and all the houses were close enough together that the lively chatter could be heard from Barnaby's house. And it was always pleasant. The noise got louder, reaching a crescendo, and Barnaby wiped off his hands before walking out into the town centre.

The town centre was, in actuality, pretty small, just like the neighbourhood, but to Barnaby, it seemed huge. There was a fountain in the centre, but the space was also filled with familiar faces - and a few new ones. The plaza was filled with the sound of music, as what Barnaby recognised as one of Julie's siblings if the hair was anything to go by, was singing into a microphone. They were shorter than Barnaby, although that was hardly saying much, and wore a ruffled dress, that faded from orange to yellow, making them look more like a sunset than a puppet, especially with that sparkle in their eye. The melody was bright, and almost jazz-like in the swing of it, and it made you want to get up and start moving, which some of the other people in the square appeared to have already been doing. Barnaby watched Eddie coax Frank into dancing, Julie pushing him further into dancing quite literally, as he stumbled into Eddie's open arms. Frank's face was blushing bright red, and he moved a little awkwardly, yet Eddie just seemed to find it more endearing as he whisked him away to the swing of the music. Frank accidentally hit Wally in an attempt to follow Eddie's dance moves, letting out a very strangled, "Sorry!" as he went by. Wally just smiled back, in what Barnaby thought was that adorable way of his, and continued talking to somebody that Barnaby had never seen before.

He was an older man, his hair greyed and sticking out on either side of his head, with a little purple top hat resting on his head. He was wearing an old-fashioned suit, in a dark cool purple, and that, paired with his monocle, made him feel slightly out of place within the Neighbourhood. There was a woman standing next to him, with a mop of ginger hair on her head, and in a very badly stained lab coat - a scientist of some sort, then - who seemed to want to interject but thought better of it, and kept rolling her eyes at her companion's answers. She kept moving her hands oddly, seemingly seeking something to hold on to at her hip, and coming up short. These people seemed to be new to the neighbourhood, but somehow knew Wally - were they old friends, or even his family perhaps? Barnaby had always thought it odd that Wally had never mentioned any of his relatives, but he didn't want to open a can of worms that Wally would rather he didn't, so he never asked, but by the looks of it they were close, with Wally listening intently to the mans every word, and even when the woman interjected with a snide comment towards him, Wally would laugh good-naturedly. They seemed to be... okay.

Just next to their little group, Howdy was leaning outside the open window of his shop, talking to Sally and Poppy. Howdy made eye contact with Barnaby and waved, and Barnaby walked on over.

"Hey y'all, how's it going?" Barnaby greeted standing on the other side of Howdy, across from Sally and Poppy. The stand seemed to have changed what it was selling since Barnaby was here earlier and now had an array of snacks and drinks, and there was even a small freezer full of ice cream and lollies. Clearly, everyone was celebrating something, and Barnaby was so confused as to how he could have missed it.

Howdy greeted him warmly and offered him a drink. Barnaby accepted and let the conversation wash over him. As he sipped his drink, he caught up with his friends, listening to their stories about the latest happenings in the neighbourhood. The party was in full swing, and Barnaby felt grateful to be a part of such a close-knit and welcoming community.

Suddenly, the music stopped, and a voice boomed through the speakers. "Neighbours and friends, may I have your attention please?" It was Wally, his striped suit glinting in the daylight. "Thank you for coming out today. Our neighbourhood is truly a special place, and events like this remind us of that!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, and the music started up again. Barnaby felt a sense of belonging and happiness wash over him as he danced and laughed with his neighbours. He knew that he had made the right choice in moving to this neighbourhood, and he felt lucky to call it his home. Although, he still had no idea what the event was for.

#mlpth au #hello puppets #welcome home #wally darling #barnaby b beagle #wally darling x barnaby b beagle #eddie dear #frank frankly #poppy partridge #howdy pillar #sally starlet #mortimer handee #riley ruckus #eddie dear x frank frankly #julie joyful #fluff #writeblr

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martinys-world · 9 months

Text

the girl (7)

chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

I made a post before this on. talking about the discord server that i have made. Since no one seen it or cared enough. I going to talk about it here. I was thinking my character was over powered in this chapter. so I made a post and was saying how I posted chapter 7 there and wanted some feedback. I posted on July 15th. a good 5 days before this one. So I left the chapter the way it is.

So if you want to join the discord comment: the robot you like. I will send you the link for the story

______________________________________________________________

I went back to my bag and began to dig. After I found my Nokia 1011 phone, a car door open sound filled the car.

“Good hold this.”

I handed him my phone and continued digging. When I felt the plastic case. I yank it out. so, I can grab the leopard glass and a security bandage with the four diamonds likes symbol. The same diamond as my pencil case. I was beginning to put on the glasses

“Sliver what you are doing.”

“don’t worry about it.”

“Why you are complaining, she looks good.”

“I will tell you this since it won’t go against Kris promise. when you see the things, I seen. You learn how to make your paths easier. I can't tell you anymore than that.”

I saw a yellow beam when, we were beginning to drive. it must have been that energy surge. Arcee was talking about. Grabbing my phone from Noah.

“Noah please hold this,” I traded Noah the phone for the badge after I toss my bag in the back.

“I must make a phone call. Mirage, please take control so I can concentrate.”

I quickly dial a number that I know by heart. The ringers didn’t even go to the second ring when he picked up.

“YOU BETTER EXPLAIN WHATS GOING ON!!!”

I pulled the phone away from my ear when he began to screaming. mirage was laughing for some reason and begin to say drama and sing song like voice.

“k plea- “

“NO EXCUSES. WE ARE RECIVCEING A MASSIVE ENERGY NEAR YOUR LOCATION. I KNOW FOR FACT THAT YOU HAVE A HAND IN THIS. SO, YOU BETTER START TALKING.”

I heard another one of mirages smart ass remarks. It was the ‘uh oh someone is in trouble.’

“K I don’t know what’s going myself.” I lied.

“I know your lying.”

“Dam it!” I said in frustration. “I will explain the best I can later. We got at least 15 minutes until I arrive and cause mayhem.”

“Not until I get at least something.” k can be very stubborn when it comes to someone he cares about. There only one sentence I know that can make just go along with whatever I say.

“I am trying to help a family get home.”

“Wait like human home or us home.”

“Us. this is there only way right now.”

“Wait until I get there.”

“There is no time. I need you on that computer that’s 2 ft to your left.” I heard him growl, but he I hear a chair roll.

“Fine. I want a story when its safe.”

“I promise. I need you. get to Ac and Sc files and find anyone that would still be there.”

Are ten minutes from arriving the campus

“You mean the ones still on campus?”

“You got it. get T. and V. to help. I need you to make them leave.”

“All right got all 900 people. Starting to send messages. Hey t and v get to your computers and start typing. Boss says so.”

I heard some shuffling in the back.

“Good, have them say there loved one is in hospital or Their place is on fire. if you need to get someone to pull the fire alarm. Get someone to pull the fire alarm. Anything to get them to leave. Hell, if need used the symbol on anyone who there I don’t care just get them gone.”

“Okay. the messages are starting to send, is there anything else?”

“Is Jason v. Armstrong. working at all tonight?”

“You are right, he should be at the security booth.”

“Call him and get him to let-

I looked at the badge Noah was holding

“Sarah J. Kelly though.”

I leaned back in the driver seat. acting like I was driving once again.

“Okay I will call him after. it won’t be any problem.”

We were down to 5 minutes

“Do you want me to see Cam to hack the security cameras.”

“Good call. Give it an hour before they come back up.”

I hear more shuffling in the back.

“T. said that he can't get a hold of Elena Wallace. She will be in the college. The same place that energy spike is at.”

“Alright If I see, I will do what I can. Keep trying to reach her.”

“k I hear talking in the background. speak to me.”

“Got it I will call after.”

“You better women or so help me, I will drag you back by the skin of my teeth if I must. You will have stuck her until we are old grey.”

“I know you will. Friends forever.”

“We never surrender.”

I hang up and tosses the phone next to my bag.

“You, young lady is amazing.” Said mirage.

“Sliver what was that?”

“My way in making sure no one gets hurt friends.”

No other questions were asked. We began to pull up to the security booth and as soon as I showed him the badge. He didn’t look twice. He opened the gate and began to pack up around his desk. we just roll in like we own the place. Once he stopped in a random parking spot. I jump out began walking to the doors.

“Sliver wait.” He was a good few steps behind me. I pushed the door open and began going up.”

“Sliver, wait I want to talk.” Noah grabs my hand. pulling me to a stop. “Please at least explain how you did all that.”

“I can't tell you that. if I do, you will be drag into something that is far too dangerous even for me. I promised your brother I will keep you safe and keeping my mouth shut is a must, then so be it.”

“Then why help them.”

“I will tell you what, I told Optimus. I know what it’s like trying to get home.”

I began to run up the stair. Just trying to outrun him so he doesn’t go farther down the rabbit hole Like Alice did with the white rabbit. I am trying to my promise. I will not drag you into the life I have. once I saw the door. I busted it open without a second thought.

When I was in the same daydream land again.

I was in a middle of a forest. the same forest that Apeling was in. the same surface of grass and tree like statues around me.

“how did I get here?”

Really how did I go from opening a door inside a building on earth to a planet I only saw once. I heard movement to my right. when looking at the sound there was a dull orange blob coming at me. the closer it came the more it began to take shape. It was a Cheetah, but not the ones on earth. This one was larger than the ones on earth. They had more of an orange coat, then its classic yellow. Also, Its eyes where a very bright green. Aren’t cheetahs supposed to have yellow eyes?

what really caught my attention was where he was heading. Right for me. I went into fetal position. I don’t know why I did that, but I did. I was never flattening like a pancake. I felt a chill in my spine. The feeling I had with Apeling. I became a full human when I saw the cat was becoming a wobbly blob again.

I felt a breeze pass me; a grey rhino was following the cat.its seems like no one is noticing me.i might not be able to get hurt in this dream like land. Wait, am I a ghost. My thoughts where interrupt when the sound of rustling trees filled my ears. I look up and saw Apeling, but it wasn’t really Apeling. The ape looked a lot smaller and more childish. Then a bird was following closely behind the primate. The birdie looked like a raven but completely metal and with a beautiful tint of blue.

A “I can do this.” Sound was coming from where the other animals where coming form

Was coming behind me. a very dark navy-blue blob was coming closer and closer. She had an outline of a wolf. The navy coat had a dot of yellow dots, mad her fur look like a night sky, with little stars at night. there was a fire is in her eyes. Nothing was going to stop her. the more she said the line the faster she was becoming. the walking night sky was passing each animal one by one. the more living beings she passed the more confident she gotten. Before anyone knows it, she was in second place. The dog and cat were neck to neck. Both determine to not let the other pass.

“Come on Midnight. You can't pass me. so, stop while you can.

“I not giving up that easily.” The finished line was feet in front their face was nearby.

While the cheetah kept trying to decrease the dog confidence. Mr. Kitty Cat didn’t notice the little pebble in the path. didn’t notice a little pebble. With him focusing on the wolf. His paw stumble on It. the stumble gave the wolf a better chance to jump ahead. Giving midnight the win. She was holding the stick in her mouth. Once she dropped it.

“Who the fastest now?”

“I let you win.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” While the canine was rubbing the win in the cheetah face. The others came through. Rhino was 3rd. bird was 4th and the ape was 5th.

“See sis, I told you can do it.” said the rhino.

“You were right Rhinox. I had to just believe in myself.”

“I let her win.” Said the cheetah.

“Keep telling yourself that.” said the bird.

“As much as this was fun, me and Star have to go.” said the ape.

While both party wave goodbye to each other. I stayed with the other 3.

“I did let her win; I just didn’t want to see her cry.”

“I appreciate your concern for my sister, but everyone say you stumble.”

“I didn’t stumble.” said the frustrated cheetah. When no one was going to believe his lies. he spit out ‘I going to hang with rattrap.’ Then began to run again.

When the last two left saw the orange furball was far enough. The bird saw her opportunity.

“Rhinox, can I ask you are personal question?”

“Go ahead Air-razor.”

“How do you feel about their feelings for your sister?”

“it’s complicated. As a big brother, they both don’t deserve her. she can do so much better than those two. But as their friend I have seen them grow over the years. They aren’t full mature, but they are better then Tigerhawk and Inferno. I learned I can't choose who she likes but if she is happy. That all that matters.”

After he finished his sentence. Everything was twisted. It twisted into a new scene. I was back with Midnight and the little ape.”

“So, what do you think Apeling wants to tell us.” midnight asked

“Something about a key.”

“Why would we need to know?”

“I don’t know. we might want to know everything we can right now before we become leaders.”

“You mean you will be.”

“We both have the chance.”

“No, you are Optimus Primal. You are the best person to lead. You lead all the group actives.”

“you are right about that, but you are the one that has all the ideas. I do apprentice the confidence boost, but don’t put yourself down.”

“I’m ju- “

Before they could continue their conversation. They walk into a cave. Where the real Apeling was standing. He was staring over the land. Kind of like Simba and Mufasa in lion king. When Mufasa says ‘everything that touches the light is your’ scene.

“Hello young ones.”

“Hello.” The little ones say.

“Today lesson is going to be special one.”

“Is it about the key?” ask Optimus.

“You are right. the key also comes with a legend. That precedes the dawn of our civilization. there is a vile god so large and so powerful, he has to consumed entire planets for fuel. That god is name Unicron.”

“isn’t that myth. We don’t need to worry about this god.” Said the Primal.

“It Could be a myth, but we aren’t for sure. It could be real for all we know.” said the wolf.

“Star is right. if he is real, he will be after this.” Apeling gotten up and walked inside the cave. Around a pedestal with a floating diamond thing. “If Unicron gets his hands on transwarp key. there is no way to stop him. “

“What is a trans-swap key?”

“Transwarp key. have been among our kind for generations. it allows us to go from universe to another.”

“So, if Unicron gets a hold of the key. he could open a portal. To eat other worlds?” Ask Optimus.

“Yes. There will be nothing in his way.”

“But isn’t there a way.”

“What do you mean.”

“In the records before the great war. They were saying something about a sister.”

“You mean brother and yes. Him and his twin brother (Primus) would fight for centuries. Unicron himself wanted to consume the universe. Getting rid of the good. So, there is nothing left but a void of torment. Primus had other ideas; he saw that there was good in freedom. He fought his brother time and time again. trying to keep the balance to the two sides. The legend says that Primus defeated Unicron each time. he was toss in a void to never be seen again. Said Apeling.

“Shouldn’t Primus have this instead of us.”

“That is a mystery that could not be solve.”

“Why is that?” Primal finally spoke up.

“We lost contact with Cybertron eons ago. with time information gets lost. Data pads get lost or destroy. without proof, all we know is that Primus and Unicron are myth.”

“That’s why they are myths? Ask Midnight .

“Yes. That is why if there even is a chance that Unicron is real. We need to guard the key from him and whoever is under his command.” Said Apeling.

“We promise to protect the key with our lives.” Said Both or the younger Maximal.

That when the vision started to change back to the museum room. rubbing my eyes trying to get eye site back. I was facing the window that lead outside for some reason. I heard chatter in the back. a girl voice said something about stealing museum property. I couldn’t fully make out the conversation. Once my vision was clear and I can see everthign like before. I saw three bots. The other 2 where unknown but when my eyes landed on the centered being. was Scrouge. Same one form Apeling vision. Nothing about seeing him said safe. I saw his hand turn into a canon, that’s when I knew we were in trouble. Seeing that it was powering up and aiming at us I turn.

“Elena and Noah get down.”

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writingdumpster · 1 year

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Jackie and Wilson

Pairing: Eddie Munson x reader

Warnings: None, I think.

Summary: Eddie wrote the Hozier song Jackie and Wilson about you in this fic bc i don’t know how to make up song lyrics.

A/N: I'm crushing on a musician rn so i wrote this. i really like it idk.

Word Count: 1.8k

Eddie had been playing his acoustic guitar intermittently, leaning up against your headboard as you worked on an essay for one of your community college classes. He only used his acoustic guitar when he was writing songs. He wasn’t singing though. He usually sang as he played. Usually he wrote his lyrics before even thinking about melody or rhythm, like a poet who happened to be a metalhead. You stretched as you put your pencil down. Eddie looked over at you.

“Done?” He asked.

“No, but I want to take a break,” you said. Eddie smiled brightly when you met his eyes, approaching the bed. Eddie quickly gathered up his notebook and music sheets, moving them to the side. You laid down beside him snuggled into his side, resting your hand on his thigh, and closed your eyes. His guitar was still settled in his arms.

“Sing your new song to me, Eds,” you requested. Eddie blushed, unbeknownst to you.

“It’s…uh…it’s not done,” he muttered.

“Sing me what you have,” you asked. “I like hearing you sing.” Eddie’s blush darkened.

“It’s not good enough yet,” Eddie told you.

“Don’t say that, Eddie,” you replied quickly. “You’re always good enough.” Eddie smiled softly despite the anxiety he was feeling about sharing his song with you.

“Thank you, sweet thing,” Eddie said.

“Sing to me, please,” you asked again.

“I only have a few parts done,” he said. “But uh…it goes like this…” Eddie started strumming a melody on his guitar. It wasn’t his normal metal style though, it was the blues style that you often listened to. He hummed along to the melody where he didn’t have words yet and then after a few bars he began singing.

“She blows outta nowhere, roman candle of the wild…”

It was the Fourth of July. Eddie had gone to the quarry in the hopes of avoiding the crowd, but still being able to see the fireworks. When he got to his usual spot, there were no other cars around. He would be alone.

But when he approached his usual look out spot, you were there. You were illuminated by moonlight. He’d never seen someone so beautiful. That was what made his heart drop. He was sure you’d be another person to call him a freak. He turned around to find somewhere else to watch the fireworks from.

“You can stay. This is the best view,” you called. Eddie froze. He didn’t think you had seen him. He turned back to face you.

“I don’t want to bother you,” Eddie said.

“It’s alright,” you said. “I’d like the company.” This time Eddie heard your voice waver a bit. He decided to join you. He’d never made a better decision.

When he got close enough that night he saw that there were tear streams on your cheeks and your eyes were red and puffy. He sat down in silence.

“I’m Eddie,” he introduced himself.

“Y/N,” you told him.

“I’ve never seen you before,” he said.

“I just moved here,” you said. “Actually, if you know a cheap place for rent or somewhere that’s hiring I’d love to know.” Eddie was quiet for a moment. You were clearly in the midst of something serious.

“Are you alright?” He asked after a moment. Before you could answer a firework shot up into the air, golden glitter sparkling throughout the sky. There was a small quiet before the next rocket was shot off. You took the brief pause of explosions to reply.

“Let’s just enjoy this moment. We’re never going to forget it.”

Your eyes widened when you realized that this song was about you. And by the style of it, it was for you as well. Eddie kept singing.

“...Laughing away through my feeble disguise…”

Eddie would never forget the way you laughed when he walked out of Max’s house with her Michael Meyers mask. You had been standing watch while everyone talked out the next move. Everything seemed to be going to hell, but you still had your sense of humor. You were still the sweet and funny woman he’d fallen in love with.

Eddie hummed a bit more, mumbling a few words that he wasn’t sure he liked yet before he began singing again.

”…And lord she found me just in time

She's gonna save me, call me ‘baby…’”

Eddie would never forget that you saved him. He wouldn’t forget that you dragged him out of the upside down and saved him. He didn’t remember much of that moment, the blood loss was too much for his mind. What he remembered was waking up to you holding his hand in a hospital bed while you were reading “The Lord of the Rings” to him. He remembered the way your voice was heavy and sad while you read.

“Hey, beautiful,” Eddie croaked. Your eyes shot up from the book.

“Baby!” Your voice was light and happy. “You’re awake!”

“I’m awake,” Eddie agreed softly. Tears began slipping down your cheeks. “Oh, no. Angel, don’t cry,” he begged.

“I’m sorry. I just thought I was going to lose you."

“What happened?” He asked. Your expression dropped and you scowled.

“You did something incredibly brave and saved a lot of people, and if you ever do something like that again I’ll kill you, Munson,” you said fiercely. Eddie chuckled.

“So it worked out?”

Eddie hummed a few more bars as you were tearing up.

“...Run her hands through my hair…”

Eddie would never forget the first time he felt your fingers tangling into his mane of curls, gently scratching his scalp as your lips were shoved against his. You had been making out in the back of his van, hiding out there during your lunch break. You hadn’t been together long at that point. When you tugged on his hair he moaned. You leaned away to giggle. For some reason that was it. He knew right then that he belonged to you.

“Don’t laugh at me!” Eddie whined.

“I’m not laughing…I just… I like you a lot,” you said softly. Eddie blushed.

“I like you a lot too,” he told you.

“Good. Now keep kissing me.”

You had sat up to look at Eddie at this point, but he was avoiding looking at you, still nervous about your reaction to the song.

“...She'll know me crazy, soothe me daily

Better yet, she wouldn't care…”

Eddie would never forget when he came home crying. He dropped his backpack on the floor when he got into the trailer and immediately headed for his room. He didn’t notice you sitting on his couch as he wiped tears from his eyes.

“Eddie?” You called softly. Eddie froze. “What’s wrong?” You asked. He turned to see you.

“Why aren’t you at work?” He deflected.

“Got off early,” you told him. “I wanted to see you.” He sniffled.

“Give me a minute to get changed,” Eddie choked out. Before he could reach his door you had caught his hand, keeping him with you.

“Baby, what happened?” You asked softly, raising your free hand to wipe his tears and cup his cheek.

“It’s nothing,” Eddie said. “Just talk. I don’t know why it’s getting to me this time.” His voice was off. He was lying.

“Eddie,” you protested. That was enough for him to fold when it came to you.

“People were saying I’m not good enough for you.” You frowned. “They were saying I’m a freak and you’re…well, you’re perfect. And they’re right.”

“You are not a freak and you are more than good enough for me,” you said immediately. “You’re perfect and you’re perfect for me. I can’t imagine anyone better,” you said firmly. You pulled his head down to lean his forehead against yours and put both your hands on his cheeks. His hands slid around your waist, pulling your body close against his.

“I don’t know if anyone else thinks that,” Eddie murmured.

“I don’t care what anyone else thinks. All that matters is what we feel for each other,” you told him.

“You’re right,” he agreed. “I…know…I’m good enough for you,” he added unconvincingly.

“You are. I’ll tell you everyday if that’s what you need, Eds.”

“...We’ll steal her Lexus, be detectives

Ride round picking up clues…”

Eddie would never forget when you pulled up to Reefer Rick’s in your dad’s Lexus. Eddie had been terrified all night, but there you were to help him figure out what was happening. There you were, by his side, like you would always be. You wrapped him in your arms tightly and looked him over for injuries, knowing that he was prone to ignoring them on account of not liking doctors.

“I’m okay,” Eddie told you. You raised an eyebrow.

“Okay?” You repeated.

“Yes, sweetheart. You’re here now. I’m okay.”

“Does anyone else know you’re here?” You asked.

“No,” he said. “Just you.” Just then Steve Harrington’s car pulled up. Before long you and Eddie were caught up on the alternate dimension beneath Hawkins. And not long after that Eddie was tucked into your Dad’s car, laying on the floor of the backseat as you drove off, on your way to prove Eddie innocent and save the day.

“...We’ll name our children Jackie and Wilson

Raise them on Rhythm and Blues…”

“That’s as far as I’ve gotten,” Eddie said as he put the guitar to the side. He finally turned his eyes up to look at you and saw your face doused in tears. “Sweetheart?”

“Eddie, you wrote a song for me,” you whispered. Eddie smiled proudly.

“Course I did,” Eddie said. “You’re my muse, princess.”

“I can’t believe you did this. It’s amazing,” you told him.

“It’s not finished yet,” he said.

“You can do whatever you want with the rest,” you said, wiping away another tear. “All of that was perfect.” Eddie smiled.

“It's not too hard to write a perfect song when you’re writing about a perfect person,” Eddie said. You smiled. You crawled forward, straddled him, and wrapped your arms around his neck. You kissed him passionately. Your lips moved in harmony and your tongues traced each other perfectly. You melted into the kiss. You sighed softly as you leaned away.

“You have to record a copy of that for me when you’re done,” you said. Eddie smiled.

“It’s supposed to be your anniversary gift,” he said. “You can’t hear anymore of it until I’m done now.” You grinned widely.

“How am I supposed to compete with that?”

“Honey, if all you do that day is call me you win,” Eddie said. You ignored this.

“I’ll figure it out, Munson. I’ll get you a perfect gift too,” you said assuredly. He chuckled.

“Don’t need a gift,” Eddie said. “You’re the perfect gift, sweetheart.”

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x reader fluff

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absolutebozo · 1 month

Text

Shadows in a Wondeful Little Home

Chapter 5: Shadows Overtake in the Absensr of Light.

This is the last chapter of part 1. I may (not) make part 2. It depends.

Tw: Blood. Death. Death will be in detail, so read at your own discretion. Implications of suicide.

Narrator POV

Except for Julie, she was in the tool shed, looking for something heavy.

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"Beautiful Dreamer, Wake Unto Me." Wally sang monotonely to his record. Wally had made it a part of his routine to sing Beautiful Dreamer while getting ready to leave for the day. At this point, all the other people who worked in the building, other than the actors, had left.

Wally kept singing when he heard the door open behind him. He looked up into his mirror and saw Julie in the doorway. But something looked off. "Oh hi Julie, what can I do for you-AH!" Wally let out a scream as cold, hard metal met the top of his right shoulder. Pain shot through Wally as he gripped his shoulder and moved to the side. Julie hadn't entirely connected the hit with the sledge hammer, so she ended up smashing it into Wally's vanity as well. Making a loud, crashing noise.

"JULIE?! JULIE WHAT'S WRONG?!" Wally yelled as he continued gripping his shoulder. The pain had dulled down slightly, but still hurt quite a lot. Wally was pretty sure that the hit from the sledge hammer had broken his clavicle.

Julie ran towards him again with the sledge hammer. Connecting a blow to Wally's chest. Wally felt the ribs on his left side snap. The pain was unbearable, causing Wally to yelp as he fell backwards onto the floor.

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Barnaby was always quick to change out of his work clothes to something more comfortable, he wasn't a difficult guy. Because of this, Barnaby always went to go hang out with Wally while he finished getting changed.

Barnaby was walking down one of the hallways that led to Wally's dressing room when he heard a crash. Barnaby knew it came from Wally's room and started to put a little pep in his step. That was until he heard Wally yell in pain. Oh no. Oh man, oh geez. Barnaby thought to himself as he ran to Wally's room. When he got to Wally's door way, he saw Wally cowering on the floor while Julie towered over him with a sledge hammer in her hand. Before Barnaby could think, he tackled Julie into the wall across from him, causing them both to fall on the floor. At this point, Wally had painstakingly managed to crawl his way back to the far wall of his dressing room.

Barnaby crawled his way over to Wally to check on him. "Wally, are you ok? Are you o-" Barnaby asked Wally once he had reached him. But poor Barnaby didn't even get to finish his question. Julie had swung the sledgehammer into the side of Barnaby's head, slamming his head into a wall. Julie had swung with such a force that an audible crunch was heard from Barnaby's skull shattering. A sickening squish was also heard, this was the smashing of Barnaby's brain between the sledge hammer and the cinderblock wall of the building.

Barnaby slumped over on top of Wally, dead. There was a strange, jello-like substance and blood dripping out of Barnaby's ear, falling onto Wally's jacket.

"BARNABY." Wally cried out.

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"BARNABY" Wally cried out. He had seen Julie get up and wind up for the swing that splattered parts of Barnaby's brains onto the wall next to them. But Wally's mouth had become unnaturally dry, probably because he was is in shock from the broken ribs he had gotten.

Wally let out a shriek as parts of Barnaby's brain leaked out of his ear and onto Wally's robe. "BARNABY. WAKE UP. WAKE UP. PLEASE." Wally screamed in the vain hope that he was just in a really bad nightmare. Wally turned to face Julie since she was still there. "You-you owe me $10 dollars, you dummy." Wally said as he turned his head to the side. Wally had seen Julie raise her arms up above her so she could bring the sledge hammer down on Wally. Wally knew he didn't have a chance to escape, but even if he did, he wouldn't have taken it. His best friend had just died in front of him, his only source of true happiness in his life and it was leaking blood and brain onto him from a smashed in head. He turned his head to the side, and smiled slightly cause he was going to join his friend in the after life real soon.

SLAM

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Howdy and Poppy were heading to the front entrance to go home after getting out of their work clothes when they heard a crash.

"I have to go check that out. Stay here. Or go to your car Poppy." Howdy said as he quickly turned around to head to Wally's dressing room. They had just left their dressing room, so they were still in the back of the building. "No, I'm coming with you." Poppy told Howdy as she followed close behind him.

After running for a couple seconds, Howdy reached Wally's doorframe. And what he saw sent a shiver through his body.

He saw Julie, sledgehammer in hand, standing over Wally and Barnaby. Except, the sledgehammer was dripping with blood. Blood was pooling onto the floor, it was from Wally and Barnaby. Barnaby's half crushed head was in Wally's lap, brain matter was on Wally's robe from Barnaby's caved in head. Wally was not in any better condition. Peeking out from underneath his robe was a violently black and blue bruise on his shoulder, his head was also caved in. The only difference was that it appeared that Wally was slightly facing forward when he had gotten his head smashed in. The evidence of this was that Wally's right eyeball had completely come out of its socket. It was dangling by a single nerve that was still barely connected to Wally's head. Wally's face was the same color as the bruise on his shoulder.

Poppy ran up behind him and started to ask "What's wrong?" But she didn't get to finish her sentence when she took in the scene before her. Wally's eye was spinning from the force of which it was knocked out of his face, falling immediately when Poppy arrived. Poppy bent down to the floor and vomited what she had eaten for lunch. The bits of chocolate from the cookies she baked during filming today were still whole.

Julie whipped her head around violently to face them. "Oh no. Poppy. Poppy run. Right now." Howdy yelled, failing to sound calm. He put his hand on Poppys back and gently pushed her forward as he started running, making sure that Poppy ended up in front of him. Howdy heard the patter of Julie's feet in the hard floor running behind him, getting closer and fast. Howdy, somehow, managed to trip over his own feet. He watched in horror as he saw Poppy turn to try and help him. "NO POPPY. LET GO. RIGHT NOW. KEEP RUNNING." Howdy yelled at her. "NO, I CAN'T JUST LEAVE YOU HERE WHERE JULIE CAN GET YOU!" Poppy yelled back at Howdy. But Poppy was too late, Julie had caught up already.

Julie swung the sledgehammer down onto one of Howdy's knees with inhuman strength. "Running away, are we?" Julie said in a low, distorted voice. Howdy shrieked in pain as he felt his knee cap shatter in his leg, hot tears streaming down his face already. Julie wound herself back again and smashed Howdy's other knee into the floor. Howdy let out another scream of pain, his voice cracking from the sheer amount of pain that he was experiencing. In the couple seconds that this took, Poppy took it as her chance to sprint as fast as she could down the hall.

Julie let go of the sledgehammer, running after Poppy. It didn't take long for Julie to catch up to Poppy. Julie grabbed a fistful of Poppy's beautiful long hair and yanked her backwards as hard as she could, yanking some hairs lose in the process. Poppy yelped in pain as her hands went to her head for some sort of pain relief, falling backward onto the floor. Julie grabbed Poppy's head by the hair and dragged her back up to a standing, kind of crouching, position. "No, no, Julie. Julie please don't hurt me. Please, I'm begging you." Poppy whimpered out, holding onto the hand that was entangled in her hair. "Julie isn't here right now." A low, distorted voice answered Poppy's plea. "NO. NO. NO." Poppy started to yell as she was dragged over to the wall. Julie made Poppy face the wall as she pulled Poppy's head back and slammed it into the cinderblock wall. Poppy screamed when her nose broke on contact to the cinderblock wall. And Poppy kept screaming as Julie repeatedly slammed Poppy's face into the wall. Julie kept doing this even after the screams had stopped and the blood started to splatter on the wall. Julie slammed Poppy's face into the wall one last time and let go. Julie watched as Poppy slumped and slowly slid down the wall, leaving a streak of blood where her head dragged against the wall.

Julie made her way back to finish Howdy. Howdy was in the relatively same position that Julie had left him. Howdy was clearly in a lot of pain from his broken legs. Julie grabbed her sledgehammer and stood in front of Howdy. Julie waiting until Howdy opened his eyes again before bringing the heavy sledge hammer down onto his head. Julie wasn't expecting as much blood splatter as there was. Blood had splattered up to her mid-thigh and stained the bottom of the walls surrounding them.

Julie made her way to the buildings kitchen and grabbed a knife.

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*A couple minutes ago*

SLAM

"Eddie, Eddie what was that?" Frank asked, looking terrified. "I'm sure it was nothing love, but I can go check. Just stay here, I'll be right back." Eddie told Frank in an effort to calm him down. Eddie walked towards the source of the slam, which seemed to be coming from Wally's dressing room. When Eddie rounded the corner to get onto the hallway where Wally's dressing room was, he heard Howdy shout to Poppy that they needed to run. Oh no. Something bad is happening. I'll go get Sally and go back to the dressing room to get Frank.

Eddie wanted to get back to Frank as quick as he could, so he took a detour through the forest set to get to Sally's dressing room. Eddie felt a flicker of doubt about leaving Frank by himself, but he was already halfway there to Sally and he felt that he needed to get there too.

When Eddie reached Sally's dressing room, he found her curled up in a corner, covering her ears. "Sally, what happened?" Eddie asked, extremely concerned about what was wrong with her. "I-i heard Poppy screaming and pleading with Julie not to hurt her. But I think she's dead now." Sally barely got out, she started rocking herself back and forth in the corner. "I'll go check, ok?" Eddie told her before heading out of her dressing room. He walked down the hall a bit when he saw Poppy's body.

Poppy was face down on the floor in a pool of blood. There was a circular stain of blood about five feet above her on the wall, followed by a streak of blood down to where Poppy was in the floor. Eddie had to resist the urge to vomit from what he saw. He ran back to Sally's dressing room and crouched down in front of her. "Sally, Sally. We have to go. Right now. And I mean it. I left Frank in our dressing room, I have to go back and get him. You're coming with me, for your safety." Eddie pleaded with Sally in hopes that she would get up from her spot in the corner. "O-ok."

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*Meanwhile*

Frank heard footsteps outside of the door to the dressing room that he shared with Eddie. "Eddie is that you?" Frank asked as he opened the door of the dressing room. Standing on the other side, he saw Julie with a bloody sledgehammer and blood all over her shoes and near the bottom of her pants. "Julie?! Are you ok?!" Frank asked Julie since she was covered in blood. Julie embraced Frank in a hug, which Frank reciprocated since Julie was his best friend.

Julie slowly pulled the knife out of her pocket and stabbed Frank in the back. Literally. Frank let out a pained yell as he tried to back away with the knife still in his back, creating a deeper gash. "Julie? Julie why would you-" Frank started to ask when Julie shoved him onto the floor. "Ohh this will be fun. I hope you feel every. Single. Second. Of what I'm going to do to you." A deep, distorted voice came out of Julie in response. "Wha-AAGGHH" Frank screamed as Julie fully stabbed through Frank's hand into the floor. Julie grabbed her sledgehammer and slammed it against Frank's calf, making sure to hit the middle so it's extra painful. Frank could barely see. But he could see that Julie was sobbing, as if she couldn't control what she was doing.

Julie sat on Frank's thigh and took the knife out of his hand. Julie made sure to stab it completely through a couple of times in both of his hands before moving onto what would be her main attraction. She put the tip of the knife at the top of Frank's stomach and lightly pressed into his skin. Barely enough to draw blood. Julie took the knife along the length of Frank's stomach, pressed down on with the same amount of force. Frank wriggled uncomfortably as Julie did this. Julie kept doing this until ther was an opening in Frank's stomach. Frank was barley conscious at this point, but the pain was so strong. Frank felt like his skin was lit on fire and stabbed a couple of times. He kept trying to distract himself from the pain by keeping his eyes closed when he felt something he never felt before

Frank's eyes shot open when he felt a new sensation. It was like a pain he could never describe as well as an itch that has never been scratched before. He looked down at his stomach and saw that Julie was carefully taking out his large intestines. Frank, at this point, couldn't speak. Frank was even shocked that he was alive still. But that didn't last for long. Even though Frank had gone unconscious from the shock and blood loss, he could still feel everything that Julie was doing. He felt her string out his intestines and drape them randomly around the room, he felt Julie take his kidneys and liver. The last thing he felt completely before dying was a sledgehammer slamming his face into the soft, carpeted floor.

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Eddie only took about 7 minutes to go get Sally and come back to the dressing room he shared with Frank. And nothing could prepare him for what he saw in there. He saw a blood bath. Frank's face had been beaten beyond the point of recognition, his face looked like ground beef but doused in blood. There were multiple cuts on Frank's hands that just kept slowly oozing blood. But the worst part was that Frank was everywhere. Julie had taken his intestines and draped them around the room arbitrarily and his kidneys and liver were on their vanity table, suspiciously clean off blood. That was until he looked at the walls. In Frank's blood from his kidneys and liver, Julie had drawn multiple pentagrams all over the room.

Eddie took 5 seconds to take it all in before letting out a heart wrenching wail of agony. He was very much aware that Julie was still in the room, covered in Frank's blood. Eddie took a few steps to get where most of Frank's body was laying before collapsing and weeping. Eddie screamed and cried over Frank's torn apart body. He grabbed Frank's hands and used them to cup his face. Eddie could barely get words about between his heart broken sobs. "Frank...oh Frankie.... I.... shouldn't have..... left you here..... don't worry.... I'll join you..... soon." Eddie managed to get out between sobs. No words could be used to describe how much pain Eddie was feeling in this moment. He took a second to dry up his tears before telling Julie "Just kill me. I know I won't live for much longer. But I can't bare to live in a world where he isn't alive. So kill me now". Eddie had told Julie this as she was grabbing the sledge hammer to, what Eddie assumed, kill him. Julie stepped in front of Eddie and slammed the sledgehammer down on top of his head.

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Sally was still there. She was standing there in shock. Frank and Eddie's dressing room was a one-person massacre. She stood there, still as stone as Eddie sobbed over his ripped apart husband and when Julie brought the sledgehammer down on Eddie's head, killing him. She also stood still as Julie strolled her way over to where she was standing. Julie left the sledgehammer on the floor and had a knife that was already covered in blood in her hand. Sally's brain finally kicked in when Julie was right in front of her. Sally quickly closed the gap between them and gave Julie a hug. But what Sally didn't realize was that Julie was holding the knife out.

The knife plunged deep into Sally's stomach. She was too stunned and too in shock to even scream. Julie, who's eyes were red from crying, withdrew the knife and plunged it back into Sally. Julie did this three more times before Sally finally fell over, creating a pool of blood on the tile floor. Julie got down and slit Sally's throat deeply. She immediately dropped the knife with a shaky hand.

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Julie didn't mean to look it in the eyes. Truly, she didn't. But she didn't think that Home was going to be staring at her. She didn't think that Home could even possess people like that. Next thing she knew, she was having what could best be described as an out of body experience. She couldn't control her movements. Or what she said. She didn't have power over her own body anymore, but was spectating he body as someone, or something, else took control. By the time Julie had gotten control of her own body, it was too late. She saw everything "she" had done. She killed her friends. Brutally, mercilessly.

Julie started to scream uncontrollably. She had pressed her hands into her face, but they were coated in blood, mostly Frank's. After 13 minutes of Julie screaming and crying to herself over Sally's body, she quietly got up. She remembered that Frank had once told her about the gun safe that Eddie kept his gun in. She went into their dressing room and gagged. She started to weep again but she had something she needed to do. She took this little key she found in the drawer of their vanity and used it to unlock a big, black box inside the wardrobe they had. Julie took out Eddie's rifle and went back to the front area where "she" had killed Sally. Julie had already checked to see if the gun was loaded.

Julie turned the rifle around a d put the barrel in her mouth and her finger on the trigger.

Julie closed her eyes, and pulled the trigger.

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#welcome home au #welcome home #wally darling #barnaby b beagle #howdy pillar #sally starlet #poppy partridge #julie joyful #eddie dear #frank frankly #frank x eddie #autistic frank #frankly dear

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raccoon-eyed-rebel · 1 year

Text

Part 24

Masterlist

Series masterlist

Part 23 🍂 Part 25

Pairing: Syverson x ofc

Series summary: Life with Sy, what more can you wish for? The most amazing husband and father to a whole litter of cute little kids... Sometimes you wonder "how did you get here?"

Chapter warnings: Sy's big-ass family.

Word count: 1.3k

A/N: @keanureevesisbae, as promised, I bring thee: Ch 24. I'm making y'all wait for 25 until I have 27 written. Sorry ❤️

@deandoesthingstome @geralts-yenn @omgkatinka @summersong69 @beck07990 @peaches1958 @sillyrabbit81 @ellethespaceunicorn

Jules started her little speech by thanking everyone for showing up at her engagement party, and thanking you – and Sy – for letting her use your house, which subjected you to the scorn of your mother-in-law again. Alright; subjected Sy to the scorn of his mother again. You were largely unaffected by the aforementioned scorn.

“As you may know,” Jules continued, “Pat hates being the center of attention for the whole night, and I’m a sucker for planning surprises for people.” You felt Sy tense up next to you as she said that.

“And it just so happens that someone very important to all of us…” Jules was laying the praise on thick, which Sy didn’t seem to appreciate. It took you far too long to realize where she was even going with this. “… turns thirty next week.”

Sy looked at Julie as if he wanted to shoot her straight to hell, and you sighed, as there was now officially no way you could make yourself scarce. There was singing, then another round of singing, specifically because Sy had begged everyone to stop singing, and following that had to be an attempt at the World Record for ‘most consecutive times a single person could hear the word ‘congratulations’ before going batshit crazy.’

You surprised Sy’s family with a sudden outburst of Dutchness when you congratulated Sy’s parents with Sy’s birthday, and were then forced to explain that it was a thing the Dutch did, without being able to give any kind of even half-decent reason as to why. Finding out you were Dutch also meant that a small army of kids now forced you to teach them some Dutch words, which started out cute, but soon turned into the inevitable ‘translate this swearword for me’-fiasco anyone with any braincells would have seen coming from the beginning. All in all, it took a while for things to settle down a bit again, and you were glad when the kids had disappeared back into the crowd.

“Love kids, but thirteen of them is a lot.” You said to Sy when he helped you find a place to sit down for a minute.

“I’d ask if you’re feeling any better yet, but I don’t think that whole circus really helped,” he said as he stroked a few curls out of your face and tucked them behind your ear, where they immediately escaped again, making Sy laugh. “Let me get you a drink.”

“Thanks, Sy,” you said, grabbing his hand as he got up to head to the kitchen.

While Sy was gone, you closed your eyes, and tried to ignore everyone around you, which became impossible when Mary Beth joined you on the couch.

“Lara, sweetheart, would I be a whole lot of trouble if I asked you to hold Lainey for a minute?”

“No, of course not!” You hadn’t even finished your sentence, or the little girl was in your arms.

“Thanks, honey,” Mary Beth said softly, “I love her to bits, but my arms are gettin’ sore.”

“I can imagine,” you said. Lainey was adorable. Nine months old with enormous blue eyes, and little hands and feet and… Her mom was gone. Probably off to the bathroom, but still, you prayed she’d get back just in case Lainey decided to start crying…

“Hey, how’s my favorite niece?” Sy sat down next to you and wrapped one arm around you as he tickled Lainey with the other.

“I thought I was your favorite niece, uncle Sy?” One of the other girls had heard what he said and jumped into his lap.

“Y’are,” Sy said, “and so are the twins.”

“That’s not fair,” one of the boys yelled. Suddenly, you were being ganged up on by children. It was scarier than you would have imagined.

“You’re not my niece, Johnny,” Sy answered with a smile, and the kids laughed at their uncle’s terrible joke before disappearing again.

“You said somethin’bout this lookin’ good on me, Sugar,” Sy said softly as he pressed his lips to your temple, “but I gotta admit, it looks pretty damn fine on you, too.”

You allowed yourself to get lost in that feeling for a bit. It was like a little glimpse into your future; sitting on that couch with Sy, holding a baby…

“Dammit, Sy, I want one,” you heard yourself say, although you were sure you’d never made the conscious decision to actually speak the words. In fact, you’d never thought you’d hear yourself utter a sentence like that at all. Ever. The look on Sy’s face said it all, but he doubled down on it with words.

“As many as you want, Sugar,” he said before kissing you. The loving and intimate energy of the moment was skillfully destroyed by half a dozen children yelling “eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew” the moment Sy’s lips touched yours.

“Good Lord, you’d think it would traumatize them forever,” Mary Beth said after shooing the kids away. Now that her spot on the couch was taken, she sat down in the chair next to you. “I’ll take her again, if you want.” She held out her arms, but you really didn’t want to let go of Lainey just yet.

“It’s alright, she’s asleep, anyway,” you said. Mary Beth seemed more than grateful to have her hands free for a bit longer, and you didn’t mind that you got to cuddle with this cutie a little more. Besides, your stomach finally seemed to settle a little, but you still hoped that holding a sleeping baby would keep people away from you for a bit.

It all went on like that for quite some time, and by the time people started leaving, you’d been praying they would for at least three hours. Sy was merciless in kicking his brothers – who were now fairly drunk – out of the house, and with them gone, peace was restored. Wait, no. Scratch that: quiet was restored. Peace, to you, was a house that didn’t look like a miniature tornado had ripped through it.

“Take a shower and go to bed, Sugar,” Sy said. He could clearly tell you still weren’t feeling very well – and he was one hundred per cent right about that, it’s just that you’d much rather he join you for both of those activities. “I’m gonna help Jules clean up this mess.” Jules didn’t look too thrilled that she was being roped into cleaning duty – something she had surely hoped to avoid by not hosting this party herself, but you knew she wasn’t so stupid as to actually expect she’d be let go just like that. Even with Sy’s mom doing you the courtesy of stacking the dishwasher before she left, there was still plenty to be done.

“Since when does your family leave deviled eggs uneaten?” Jules asked while she carried a plate with two sad-looking eggs back to the kitchen. “Lara, want one?” As soon as she held the plate out to you, you stepped back. Julie made a whole scene out of pointing out you loved deviled eggs – as if you’d forget that – but with your stomach as upset as it was right now, they just made you feel sick.

“Let her go upstairs, Jules,” Sy said. There was definitely some irritation in his voice, and you were one hundred percent sure he wanted Jules and Pat out of the house as soon as humanly possible, so he could get to bed, too. “She’s not feeling well. Just… help me clean up my damn house.”

Jules followed his orders immediately, which was a very un-Jules thing to do, and you made your way upstairs. First stop: bathroom. The thought of a hot shower was almost excruciatingly appealing to you right now.

#syverson x ofc #syverson #captain syverson fanfiction #captain syverson #syverson fanfiction #syverson fluff #cpt syverson #syverson fic #henry cavill characters #henrycavill fanfic #henry cavill fanfiction #henry cavill

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collecting-stories · 2 years

Note

Hi! Congrats on 11k! Can I request a soulmate au with Luke from jatp with sharing songs please :)

Oh my gosh thank you!!! Also I’m really excited about this, I haven’t written Luke in like, a while so it’s nice to kind of dust off the JatP! Thanks for requesting!!!

Troubadour - Luke Patterson

Summary: YOU’RE THE VOICE I HEAR INSIDE MY HEAD THE REASON THAT I’M SINGING I NEED TO FIND - not quite but Luke gets a set of chords stuck in his head and it turns out they’re yours.

A/N: I went with this one (but like Sunset Curve in the 90’s style) sharing songs = they keep hearing songs that they can’t find on the internet, finally realizing that they are their soulmate’s own, unpublished songs

Julie and the Phantoms Masterlist || Celebrate 11k with me

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

“What are you playing?”

Luke stopped mid-hum, fingers stilling on his guitar and looking over at Alex. They’d been taking a break from practice but Luke had been strumming the same few chords for the last couple minutes. It wasn’t unusual behaviour but Luke typically would’ve been writing down lyrics or trying to figure out the next piece of the song. As far as Alex could tell he was just transfixed on those chords and nothing else.

“Uh,” Luke faltered for a minute, racking his brain for the name of the song that had been stuck in his for the last few weeks. “I…I don’t know,” he admitted.

“Do you have anything written yet?” Reggie looked almost hopeful as he asked. He’d been sneaking lyrics into Luke’s notebook lately. They weren’t bad but they also weren’t Sunset Curve by a longshot.

“It’s not mine,” Luke explained, “I spent all day yesterday at the record store on palermo and still can’t find it…”

“Where’d you hear it first?” Alex asked, interest piqued at this bit of information. Luke had an undeniable ear for music. He could know a song just from the opening strum of the guitar or strike of the drums. It was unusual that he didn’t recognise a song he’d been playing over and over again.

“That’s the thing,” Luke admitted, setting his guitar in its stand and getting up to pace around the room. “I don’t really remember. Like I just woke up one morning and it was in my head.”

“And you haven’t heard it anywhere else?” Bobby asked, coming back into the garage with water bottles for the four of them.

“No.” Luke shook his head, getting a little frustrated with the questions but more so just because he felt like he didn’t have any of the answers he wanted. “It just was stuck in my head one day and I haven’t been able to find it anywhere. Look, it’s whatever. Let’s just get back to practice. Reggie wants to go to that show tonight-“

“We can’t miss it, it’s open mic once a month, if it seems like a good crowd, we should think about putting our names down.” Reggie replied, cutting Luke off. He’d been telling them about this venue for a couple weeks now, since he and Bobby had gone down there for a show and seen a flyer about their amateur band nights. Unsigned bands in LA could perform for fairly regular crowds. It was better than anything they’d been doing.

“We won’t miss it,” Bobby said, grabbing his guitar.

The crowd was a good one tonight, not packed but full enough that Luke felt the familiar warmth of being surrounded by eager concert-goers. Alex pushed forward, the other three following him to the edge of the stage. There was a band performing, a group of 20-something guys dressed more like accountants than rockers but their music was good.

As the set finished, Luke turned away from the stage, listening to Bobby talking about how it seemed so far. Trust him to be the most analytical of the four of them. Luke was always all about the music but Bobby had a head for the business side of things too. It didn’t take long to switch out instruments, none of the bands seemed interested in keeping the crowd waiting for too long, not when most of them were just trying to get their names out there.

Luke still had his back turned as the house lights dimmed and the next band came out.

You weren’t normally this nervous about performing but lately you’d had a song stuck in your head and it’d been distracting you from working on your own music. As soon as you sat down to write it was there in the back of your head. You’d had songs kind of, creep up on you before. Words or chords just got stuck until you wrote them out but something about this song told you it wasn’t something you’d dreamed up yourself. It didn’t feel like you at all, more like you were hearing someone else’s song in your ear.

You hadn’t told anyone about it and now you were getting ready to go on with your band, hopeful that you didn’t mess up, trying to combat the song in your head with your own chords.

The crowd had some good energy, seemingly more welcoming than when you had been here the last time. “Hey, thanks for letting us take up some of your time tonight, this song is a new one I’ve been working on. I think I finally got it, I’ll let you guys decide,” the comment was met with some laughs and you smiled, trying to calm your heart from going haywire in your chest, “alright, here we go.”

You started strumming and Luke turned around, his eyes wide as he stared up at you. All he could remember was what Reggie had said on the way over, these were all new bands that didn’t have records, that hadn’t been signed. You said yourself you had just finished the song you were singing, but, Luke knew that song.

“That’s the song,” he said, nudging Alex, “that’s the song!”

“What song?” Alex asked, turning so he could hear him better, “you mean the song you were playing earlier today?”

“yeah; that’s it.”

“How is that possible, Luke, we’ve never seen these guys play before.” Alex reasoned. It didn’t make any sense that Luke would know a song before it even existed in the world, “maybe you’ve just got some chords stuck in your head and it sounds like that.”

“No,” Luke shook his head and looked back up at the stage. It was impossible to really see the crowd, he knew that, he’d been on stage enough times to know that you’re really just looking out at silhouettes. But as he looked up you turned your head and he swore your eyes locked with his. He could feel a pounding in his chest like the nerves he got before a show, sweat beaded on the back of his neck and goosebumps erupted on his skin. It was like his whole body was mirroring yours and you looked like you knew.

He wanted to pull you off stage and ask you how you’d done it. How had he heard that song in his head when it was only just finished, how had the words all seemed so familiar when just that afternoon he couldn’t remember any of them. Luke was stuck in that moment until he felt the house lights come up and he was blinking from the change, turning his head back and forth. He felt like he’d been dreaming, if he pinched himself he almost expected to wake up in the garage again.

“Luke!” Alex grabbed his arm and brought him back down to reality. He was awake after all, “where are you going? The next band is getting ready to play.”

“I have to find that singer…that, I…that’s the song.”

#ems 11k sleepover #Julie and the phantoms imagine #Julie and the phantoms fanfic #Julie and the phantoms fanfiction #Julie and the phantoms fic #jatp fanfiction #jatp fanfic #jatp fic #Luke Patterson fanfiction #Luke Patterson fanfic #Luke Patterson imagine #Luke Patterson x reader #luke patterson x y/n #Luke Patterson x you #collecting stories imagine

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cilogram · 9 months

Text

Sparks Japan Tour 2023 Recap

(silly personal edition; unfortunately the only kind I'm capable of)

Saturday July 22nd, Tokyo

(Duo Music Exchange)

This is the standing venue I've mentioned before as being crazy for having massive pillars in line of sight of the stage. It was a sold out show, so unfortunately some people had to be back there...

I was unbelievably lucky with my ticket numbers and my friend and I got to stand in the front row, keyboard siiiiiide. I don't think I can express how happy I was to be there. The show was phenomenal and being in the front able to jump around and dance and experience the music Up Close was just... something else.

I really enjoyed the film score soundtrack to our waiting time before Sparks came on, too. So atmospheric.

Obligatory pre-show keyboard photo number one:

Over the loudspeakers before the band came on, the venue announced that photos and videos wouldn't be allowed during the performance, and there was a hilarious, audible reaction from the crowd as ~600 people quietly reacted like, 'whaaat?!'

(I see there were some rule-breakers in the house, though, so there are some clips and pictures on instagram and elsewhere for those who want to see!)

The stage was really shallow with the band set up and Russell could barely fit behind the keyboard to reach that side, but it was so nice that he made the effort to come and sing to those people up close, and somehow without knocking Ron over.

Also we definitely witnessed the escalator dance!

And oh man, Russell did so many dramatic leaps into the air, it was (as they say) rad.

Out of all the songs we heard that night, I think it brought me the most joy to hear Angst, and The Toughest Girl In Town. I love Interior Design and it's the album I usually put on when I'm coming home from the city at night, so hearing a song from it IN that city at night was just the best. But every song was done incredibly. Particularly Beaver O'Lindy which of course I'd never heard live before (I am sadly not a 21x21 veteran)!

And I love when a song ends and Ron does some little pose when he lifts his hands off the keyboard :')

The crowd was absolutely on fire, in SUCH good spirits! Everyone I saw was just smiling through every moment, or singing along looking elated to be there and lost in the music.

And as I'm sure we've all seen by now, encore Ron wore an Air Jordan hoodie with JAPAN written on it. Extremely appreciated.

Oh, and retrospectively I think I have to conclude that the Shopping Mall Of Love 'yeah's from this night included the hottest 'yeah' of the three tour dates. I don't make the rules, I merely observe them.

This show was everything I could have hoped for and more.

(To my friend I went with: if you're reading this, ugh, what a cherished memory it is to have seen them front row together ;_;)

Monday July 24th, Osaka

(Namba Hatch)

I went up very high to take this photo and the venue is sadly not in it, but please look at Osaka anyway just for some ~mood context~.

(And yes, person trying to see if you could peel one of the Sparks posters off the wall of the venue to take home, I saw you and I support you and I'm sorry you didn't manage to succeed!)

By the way, this venue has an impressive plethora of escalators...

Obligatory pre-show keyboard photo number 2:

You can tell how early I was by the unoccupied seats.

This was my first seated show but 99% of people were on their feet from the moment the band came on and for the entire duration of the show. Absolutely became a standing gig... I was so relieved!

I brought a non-Sparks-fan to this show and it couldn't have been a better introduction. It was just so incredibly well performed and so fun, we had such a great time.

Russell's voice was possibly somehow even better than on Saturday; I don't know, but especially his high notes had so much POWER and he looked super happy with the performances after each song :D

And omdhfhdgdg there was just so much energy from the crowd.

Being a much bigger venue than Saturday, the applause and cheering was incredible :') The audience participation in general was just brilliant!

I really like a lot of the live arrangements of the songs, too, they're so much more powerful than usual. I know with some other bands, live shows are a muddier, albeit wilder but much less listenable rendition of the album tracks, but Sparks really elevate their songs when done live.

Russell also used a few words of the local Osaka dialect when talking to the crowd which was very cute and got big cheers.

The previous venue was too small for the lighting setup I've seen in other 2023 tour photos, so this night was when we finally got to see that in action. As is Sparks' way, it was really well thought-out, so I'm very glad I got to see this more visually dramatic version of the set. I especially loved the rainbow lighting and French flag lighting moments.

This was also our first time hearing A Love Story in Japan. So fun live!

Encore Ron came out wearing a pair of novelty Osaka dialect sunglasses (which he had to lift up to see the keyboard settings 'cause they were obviously too dark, and the crowd giggled at that and so did Ron, it was... fucking cuuute.

Of course there was also a brief glimpse of no-glasses Ron when he swapped them for his normal pair later. Those of you who know me will observe my restraint in the mentioning of this)

When they were saying their final goodbyes to us, someone at the front handed Russell an art piece they'd made (it looked like a standee of him and Ron) and he did a little pose like 'I will cherish this' and then put it on the keyboard, and Ron picked it up and did a little pose with it like 'ooooh'

So cute. So lovely.

Such a stellar show! I wish I could thank everyone else in the crowd for making it so special. I'd never seen so many hands in the air.

Tuesday July 25th, Tokyo

(Line Cube)

(The second brand-related renaming of Shibuya Public Hall has given it the above amusing name. It used to be called CC Lemon Hall and I don't know which is funnier)

It's really nice inside, very modern and spacious and the seats were SO comfortable,

but this time EVERYONE immediately stood up. I didn't detect an ass in a seat for the whole show. It was beautiful. Wonderful. Unbelievably good!

(Unrelated, but in front of me was a maybe-11-year-old boy in subtle russell cosplay; wearing an exact replica of his 'having fun around Japan' outfit from the documentary (complete with the right length of trousers and legit marimekko bag in red))

Obligatory pre-show keyboard photo number 3:

Just before the 2nd or 3rd song there were some technical difficulties, during which Russell tried stalling but then obviously didn't want to stall alone for the whole time and forcibly handed Ron the mic

and Ron said,

"... the voltage in Amurica is 120, and in Japan it's 100... so sometimes things like this happen. We apologize. ^w^"

(yes he did make the face of this emoji)

(and yes I did... phonetically spell out the way Ron says America because it's just... so endearing)

The rest of the show went smoothly though! It was so, so

so good.

I could get into some of the moments in the songs that really move me, but I am easily embarrassed.

Okay, I will try (look, I am being so brave)

-When I'm With You: there's a beautifully-held note or two or three in this song that I'm sure all Sparks fans die at when hearing it live. That, and the 'I almost feel normal' line, really get to me.

-It Doesn't Have To Be That Way: I think we all know how rare it is for Sparks to make a song specifically in order to express a message, and I'm really glad they doubled down on that and did this one live. It hurts but it's also so simply triumphant. I love how Russell almost laughs on certain lines because it really is both absurd and exactly what artists have to deal with.

-Number One Song In Heaven. This is just one of the first Sparks songs I ever heard and it blew me into another dimension. It's ominous, it's ethereal, it's weird and perfect, and it's incredible to hear live every single time.

At the end of the show, Russell said how sad it was for them to be ending the tour

but how happy they were to have the last one be here ;__; 'we genuinely really love your country'

Awww Russell ;_;

I left the show so much better off than when I came in, by which I just mean there's something about seeing a band that means so much to you, where it just turns up the metaphorical dial on the enrichment of your life. Thank you Sparks and thank you other Sparks enjoyers!

Well, that was my rambling show report complete with absolutely none of the information anyone usually wants to hear about a gig.

I'd like to thank @adreamofroses for finding me and saying hi, and I'm sorry we didn't get to talk much!

I'll leave you all with a photo of the official merch I got, including some by the art team Tectecs whose adorable art was irresistible. They've got a gallery show going on with all their Sparks work at the moment, too.

and one last photo because I saw my bag looking like this when I stopped to do something, and laughed:

#I'm sure there are things I've forgotten but such is life #what a beautiful end to a beautiful tour #Sparks band

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warmaidensrevenge · 1 year

Text

To stay or change?

Pairings: Eddie Munson x sickly!plus size reader

If you want to read my other work you can find it HERE

A/N: Hey babes. This is just a one shot that came to me last week. It's a bit rough so forgive me if it's not the best. Idk if it's even worth the read but I liked it. Just a heads up I used 3 songs from some of my favorite artists. Will list them below. Anywho, feedback is greatly appreciated and asks/comments are always welcomed. Kay love ya bye.

Word count : 13,562

I do not give permission for anyone to use or publish anywhere else. Please respect all creators.

Warnings: 18+ secret pinning, mentions of oral, cheating, arguing, sickly reader and death. Not proof read.

Summary: true love that shouldn't be. Friendship ruined and an afterlife.

🥺💚

Eddie had been living in New York for about 4 years. Working as a bartender/ bouncer. He loved his job. He was always a night owl. So this was the perfect place for him. Especially since he and his buds could perform on Friday nights. Eddie and the band had a small following that grew bigger every Friday. He still had the dream the band would make it. And he wouldn't stop until they did. That's why this July evening he was pissed. The club manager had booked a band called Ready Aim Run. Eddie had heard them before and they were good. But he didn't understand why they were playing at a club. They made it. They were famous. Why the hell would they come back here? Why not give other bands a chance to make it too?

Gareth, Jeff and Grant wanted to see the band. Eddie on the other hand was already annoyed with the idea of that band taking their spot. Now his friends wanted to see them. He rolled his eyes and followed his buds inside the club and went to find a spot close to the stage. Eddie ordered a drink right off the back and figured if he had to sit through this, then he was gonna be drunk. The show was about to start and Eddie had never seen the club this busy before. Bodies upon bodies were packed into the decent size place. That was what he wanted. To be known and to have this many people come to their shows. He sighed and pounded a rum and coke before asking for another. That's when the lights went out and he heard the lead guitarist start off strong. She was hot. Short blonde hair. Body covered in leather and studs. As Eddie sipped on his second drink his eyes followed her fingers. Then the drums came in. He couldn't see who was playing but he thought whoever it was that they were good. The other band members joined in and then sang.

Who's singing?

🎵

Is this better

Tell me there's a better way

I'm not afraid

I'm not gonna hide from the vultures above, serpents below

They wanna lay me to rest, but I won't go

Yeah

Is it better to die than live another day

I'm not afraid

I'm not gonna run from the scars and within, burning your skin

They wanna lay me to rest, but I won't go

Yeah

I won't go

I wanna stand up, a hundred feet tall

'Cause fear will never lead the way

I'm ready to run, a hundred miles strong

I will never be the same

Waking the lions in me

I'm waking the lions in me

Waking the lions in me

Waking the lions in me."

🎵

Eddie tried to min over to see who was singing but he couldn't. Then the hot girl moved and he saw. The plus size girl on the drums with long straight hair was singing her heart out. He watched as you and the hot girl sang the chorus together. After it was over the hot girl moved, blocking his view of you again. And this girl was looking right at him. He licked his lips and smirked when she gave him a wink. Eddie continued to be amazed how good the band was. More specifically how good you were. It was hard enough to play the drums but to be the lead singer too. It was insane. Eddie played the guitar and sang. And that was hard to do standing still. But playing the drums, your arms flailing about. 3 out of 4 of your extremities were constantly moving. It must have been a battle. But he couldn't tell. Your voice never faltered.

" Hey I know that girl."

Eddie looked at Grant. " Which one?"

" The one on the drums. She went to school with us."

Eddie looked back to the stage. He tried to move to see you again. Being pushed back by head banging fans. Out of nowhere Gareth came and pushed through. It was like the closer they got the more you were hidden. But then the hot girl moved and both Eddie and Gareth saw you. Eddie didn't recognize you but Gareth did.

" Oh shit! That's Y/n L/n. We did go to school with her."

Eddie looked at his friend and shook his head. He honestly didn't remember you.

" Dude don't you remember? Jason Carver pants her during the homecoming parade." Eddie looked back and made eye contact with you. It only lasted for a second. But it clicked for him. He could never forget your eyes. Big and beautiful. With just a hint of sadness behind them. Only back then they were red and puffy from crying. He remembered that you were in the marching band all through junior high and high school. You were a year behind him but you graduated before he did. You were always so chill. One of the only girls in Hawkins who was actually nice to him. As the song finished up the intro to the next one started off with a growl. Eddie's eyes widened when he saw you.

Holy shit!

He and Gareth started head banging. Then as the song was almost over Eddie felt goosebumps all over. He watched you in complete aww. It was like he felt every single word you sang.

🎵

"Can you feel the pain

Of those you've betrayed?

The promises unmade

Broken hearts that fill with shame

And you're to blame

Do they call your name?

There's nothing left to say

Nothing left to say

This innocent blood is on your hands

Deceive me

Come face to face with the final stand

Release me

It's the part of me you can't comprehend

Unleash me

You've unleashed the wild within"

🎵

Jesus Christ!

When the song was over you got up and switched with the hot girl for the next song.

Shit! You play the guitar too?

For a split second before you started to play you looked at him again. Eddie felt a ping in his heart.

🎵

Do I make you nervous?

Do I make you scared?

Do I make you wanna just stop and stare?

Weird, bizarre, unusual

Sicker than sick, atypical

A perfect picture of your fucking worst nightmare

Do I make you frightened?

Do I make you fear for your life?

When you're so certain, I'll infect you when I'm near

Obscene, twisted, unnatural

Off the wall, unacceptable

I'm bulletproof to what you think

So you can damn me straight to hell

You can crucify my name

You can throw me to the wolves

You can burn me in the flame

And say, "She's such a strange girl"

Such a strange girl

The world needs strange girls

Just like me."

🎵

As the set went on you didn't go back to the drums. Eddie felt something. He wasn't sure what it was. But he definitely felt something. After the show he and Gareth were approached by the band's assistant and were asked if they wanted to go backstage. When they walked into the room Eddie immediately locked eyes with the lead guitarist. She approached him.

" Hi handsome. How did you like the show?"

Eddie grinned. " It was fucking epic. You guys are something else."

She giggled and grabbed his bicep.

" Why thank you gorgeous. I'm Delilah."

Eddie held out his hand. " Hi. I'm Eddie."

" Mmm it's nice to meet you. Umm do you want a drink?"

Eddie looked around the room and noticed you weren't there. " I uhh yeah sure. But can I use the bathroom first?"

Delilah giggles again. " Of course."

Eddie nodded and started off.

" Don't take too long handsome. I want to play."

He gave her a smirk. " Don't worry. We can play as soon as I get back." He gave her a wink and went.

When he walked out he looked down the hall and saw you rolling the big storage boxes outside. When he saw you struggle a little bit putting it into the van he went to help.

" Hey, let me give you a hand."

You gave him a little smile. " Uhh thanks."

Eddie lifted the case in and started to help put the others in.

" Don't you guys have a guy for this?" He asked.

" Umm normally we do. But uhh his kid got sick, so I sent him home."

Eddie nodded. Once everything was in he stood there watching you checking off boxes on a clipboard.

" Thanks for your help. " You said not looking up from the clipboard.

" You're welcome y/n."

He saw you smile.

" Wow. You remember me huh?"

He chuckled. " Couldn't forget a pretty girl like you."

You scoffed. " Eddie Munson." You shook your head. " Always so charming."

He smiled. " You remember me too?"

You finally looked at him. " How could I forget a mop like that? I even remember when you grew it out. Glad to see you still can rock a mane."

Eddie felt heat rush to his cheeks. " Thanks. So uhh how's life in the limelight?"

You looked away and closed the van doors.

" It's been." You sighed. " Nuts. But the good kind."

He nodded.

" What about you guys? Did the band ever take off?"

Eddie looked at the ground and frowned. " Uhh, I'm still working on it."

There was a couple of seconds of silence when he felt your hand on his shoulder. He met your big beautiful eyes.

" Don't worry Munson. If you guys are still as good as I remember. It will definitely happen."

You dropped your hand and he felt the need to grab it.

" I uhh would love to stay and catch up, but I kinda have to do something."

" Not gonna stay and have a drink with me?"

" Yeah no. Sorry. But uhhh tell the guys I said hi."

" Sure."

He watched you walk to a car.

" Hey Munson."

He smiled at you.

" Have fun with Delilah. She seems into you."

He nodded and stayed to see you drive away. For a moment there he forgot all about Delilah. For a second he wanted to spend some time with you.

…

Eddie was holding up the very drunk Delilah as he fumbled around with her keys. When he finally got the door open to the loft he helped her in.

Out of nowhere you turned on a light, holding a bat.

" Jesus H Christ! Munson you scared the shit out of me!"

" Woah woah woah. Don't swing."

You put down the bat and went to help him.

" Common, let's lay her down." You said getting on the other side of her.

After you guys got Delilah into bed you turned her to her side and brought a pot for her.

Eddie followed you back out into the living room.

" You want some tea?" You asked

" Uhhh tea sounds good. But don't you want to go to bed?"

You shook your head and started boiling water.

" I don't sleep much. Can't really."

Eddie sat at the counter.

" Oh. Me too. I'm usually up all night."

" Same."

" So uhhh Delilah went overboard huh?"

He started drumming his finger on his thigh. " A little. "

" Yeah. She gets carried away sometimes after a show….thanks for bringing her home. Most guys just get what they want and leave her to call me to come get her."

"It wasn't a big deal. I just wanted to make sure she got home safe."

You smiled at him.

" Good ol' Eddie. Always coming to the rescue."

He laughed.a little watching you poured hot water in 2 mugs and seeped 2 tea bags before giving him one. You walked around the counter and headed for the couch. With Eddie following in suit.

You blew on your tea. The way your lips pressed while you did that gave him a chill up his spine.

" Remember when that dick Carver pulled down my pants? You had taken off your vest and jacket and both you and Gareth covered me while I fixed myself."

" Yeah….I'm sorry that happened. Jason was always a dick."

You let out a small laugh. " You can say that again."

" Jason Carver is a dick."

You laughed a little louder this time. Making Eddie grin.

" Well hey at least we never have to see him again. Dude, I was so happy to get the hell out of Hawkins."

" Right?!" Eddie agreed. Making you laugh again.

" Hey, did you graduate after all?"

Eddie sighed and nodded. Taking a sip of his tea before placing the mug on the coffee table.

" I did. Uhh the year after you did."

" Haha let's gooo. Up top."

Eddie chuckled as he gave you a high five.

" Yeah I had to get the hell out of there too."

" And look at you now. In the big apple, working on becoming a famous musician."

He laughed again. " I can say the same thing about you. Except you made it."

You shrugged. " Ehhh. Almost. Working on a new deal right now."

" Really? That's cool."

You smiled at your cup. " Yeah…. So speaking of making it. If one would want to see you and the guys play. Where would one find you?"

Eddie looked away from you. Before he was pissed that you took their spot. But now that he knew it was you he was actually happy that you did.

" Uhh we usually play at the club on Fridays."

When you gasped Eddie looked back at you.

"M-Munson, I'm-I'm so sorry. If I would have known I would have never asked to play tonight."

He shook his head. "No, don't worry about it."

"No, that wasn't cool. It's just that's where we were discovered. And I thought-"

" It's fine pretty girl. I'm actually happy you did."

" You are?"

He grinned at you. " Yeah. I got a chance to talk to you."

Your gaze went back to your mug. Eddie smiled to himself when he saw you blush.

" So uhhh this might be random but do you have a boyfriend pretty girl?"

Eddie furrowed his brow when you started to laugh.

"Oh please. I don't have time for one. With everything going on with the band and with me. I just don't see the point."

" What do you mean 'with you'?"

You shifted a little and you looked a little uncomfortable at his question.

" I-i ummm I have CKD."

Eddie tilted his head when you looked at him again.

" It's Chronic Kidney Disease. That means I have to get dialysis. That's why I couldn't stay tonight. I had to go get my hours in."

" Hours?"

You sighed. " Yeah. I have to do it for 4 hours, 3 times a week."

" Geez! That's insane."

You gave him a thin lip smile. " Yup. So doing that plus being in a band kinda gives me no time to be with anyone…not like I want to."

"Why not?"

You laughed a little. " Well no one wants to stick around, worried about if I'm gonna die today or tomorrow. Besides the only guys who say they're interested in me. Normally just say they are to get to Delilah."

Eddie sat up straight and turned his body towards you.

"Wait! What? It's not curable?"

And what the hell is wrong with those jerks? You're just as pretty. He thought.

You mimic his actions.

" So basically, my kidneys are gonna go. My only hope is that I get a transplant. But I'm at the bottom of the list."

" You can have mine."

You laughed and shook your head. " Thanks. But you're gonna need those."

Eddie smiled. He liked hearing you laugh.

" So how long do you have?"

You leaned back on the arm rest and sat cross legged. You looked back down at your mug rubbing the rim with your thumb.

" Who knows. The doctors say on dialysis it can be anywhere from 5 to 10 years." You took a sharp inhale. " And I'm going on 5 now."

Eddie reached over and put his hand on your knee. You smiled again and he felt the ping again.

" Everything is going to be fine, pretty girl. You'll get your kidneys."

You cleared your throat and moved to put your cup next to his on the coffee table. Causing him to retract his hand.

" Enough with the morbid stuff Munson. So tell me." You looked at him with those pretty eyes of yours. " Do you still play Dungeons and Dragons?"

He tugged at his bottom lip to stop the huge smile he would have on.

You remembered that too.

You guys talked and talked. Eddie was surprised how easy it was to have a conversation with you. The few hours he had with Delilah all they did was drink and make out. With her playing her guitar sometimes when she got bored. Then she would take a shot and make out with him again. This however was nice. He liked how funny you were. Your smile was beautiful and your laugh was adorable. He secretly wanted to spend the night with you instead of Delilah. Sure she was sexy as hell and a good kisser. But it was like she was empty headed or something. Other than liking metal music and being in a band, they had nothing in common. You however, knew him. Or of him. Knew his likes and dislikes. Knew about all the shit he went through. And he liked that. He liked not having to explain all that to people. He definitely liked that you didn't bring it up either. As the conversation flowed like a river it was suddenly interrupted by Delilah.

" God you guys are still up?!" She said sitting on the armrest next to Eddie.

" Feeling better bud?" You asked.

Eddie turned his body back towards the coffee table and Delilah slid into his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck.

" Oh yeah. Much better." She said, kissing his cheek.

He honestly felt uncomfortable. He felt like he was being rude.

" Thank you guys for taking care of me. Especially you handsome."

Eddie nervously laughed. " Uhh it was-"

He was cut off by a kiss. He barely kissed back before Delilah started kissing his jaw down to his neck. He looked over to where you were but you weren't there. He cranked his neck and caught your eye before you disappeared down the hall. There was that sadness again. It was quick but he saw it. And he didn't know if it was because the conversation was interrupted or that he hurt your feelings. Either way he felt bad. Next thing he knew, he was in Delilah's room getting a decent blowjob. He knew it was wrong because he and Delilah were hooking up. But all he could do was picture your lips kissing him. That it was your eyes looking at him while you were blowing him.

Shit this isn't good.

…

When you saw Eddie you instantly felt all those feelings you once felt for him come back. They hit you like a truck. For as long as you could remember you've had it bad for the guy. But you had convinced yourself it was just a silly crush. Then when he and Gareth helped you that one time, you knew what you felt for Eddie was more than a crush. He didn't even have a second thought before he was right there. Telling you that everything was okay. Time went on and you never said a word about it. Not that you didn't want to. It just never seemed right. And after graduation you honestly thought you would never see him again. So what were the chances you would see him? In New York. At the very place you got your big break. Unfortunately for you, you saw Delilah giving him the fuck me eyes. And you knew once your best friend set her sights on someone. They were gonna come home with her. So yet again another chance gone. Imagine your surprise when you got a few minutes with him before you left the club. Not only did he remember you, he called you pretty. He gave you butterflies. He always did. Even if he never paid you no mind. Then the thought of Delilah inviting him backstage made its way to the front of your mind. Of course. She got to him first. Then he showed up to your place and was being the perfect gentleman. Only reminding you of what an amazing guy he was. Reminding you of who he always was. So sure you were jealous he came home with Delilah. You knew how she was. She would hook up with a guy once then move on to the next. And once she did that, why on god's green earth would Eddie want you after. He was going to be heartbroken and probably hate you. Or bug you to talk to Delilah until you had to completely ignore him. That was the inevitable conclusion. You didn't like it. But he picked her and not you. However you could have not been more wrong. After that night you saw Eddie more and more. Since you guys were finally home, the late night talks became sort of a habit when he came over after work. It was weird to say the least. It was like you were in the relationship too. But you didn't get the fun part. You got the 'get to know you better' part. The emotional part of it. Not that you would complain. Eddie was interesting. In every way. You remembered him being so theatrical in school. Somehow he became even more so. One day while Delilah worked on a modeling gig, he offered to give you company during a treatment. You were apprehensive at first, not wanting him to see you all hook up. But he insisted. When Eddie sat there watching the nurse hook you up, all he could think about was how badly he wished he could give you one of his kidneys. He caught that sadness in your eyes again. Would it be so wrong of him to hold you for the entire 4 hours?

Yes. You have a girlfriend.

To be honest the only reason he even started going out with Delilah, was so that he could spend time with you. It was wrong. He knew that. And he wanted things to be different. But he fucked up. Now he had to live with having feelings…real feelings for you but be with your best friend. Throughout the 4 hours he tried to distract you. Then you started to get sick. All he could do was rub your back when you started throwing up. After, you were so tired that he helped you into bed and sat with you while you slept.

I really want to hold you, pretty girl.

Sometime while he sat there scrolling on his phone. He fell asleep. He heard his phone chime and when he opened his eyes he saw that you were snuggled up against him while he held you.

Shit.

This felt good. You in his arms felt way too good. Almost as if you were made to fit perfectly. Your soft warm body and the smell of your shampoo had him climbing the walls. He had to get out of there. He needed to rub one out before you woke up. He kissed the top of your head and slid out of bed. Quietly tiptoeing to the bathroom. He locked the door and decided to just shower. Once he got in he grabbed his length and slowly stroked himself. He sighed your name and let his head fall back. With water cascading down his chest he imagined your hands touching him. Caressing his arms and his chest. He pictured your lips on his neck. He bet that they would be the softest. He cupped his balls and rolled one between his thumb and index finger. Moaning softly as he pumped faster.

Fuck y/n. I want you so bad.

He hung his head and put his hand on the shower wall as he fucked into his hand.

Fuck fuck fuck. Y/n baby… fuck!

Eddie panted as his load shot out and coated your body scrubber.

"Shit!" He half yelled, half whispered.

When he was done he washed off your scrubber and washed up. When he finally got out he went to Delilah's room and put on some clean clothes. Hearing some clattering in the kitchen. Once he was dressed he went to see what you were doing.

" Hey. How you feelin' pretty girl?"

You looked up from the cutting board and smiled a sweet little smile.

" I'm okay. Always get a little tired after…nothing a power nap can't fix."

Eddie walked around the counter into the kitchen.

" Good. So what're we making?" He said, washing his hands.

" I'm in the mood for spaghetti. But, I have to warn you. I put veggies in it."

Eddie stood next to you as he dried his hands.

" Uhh like mushrooms?"

You nodded. " Yes that and carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and zucchini."

He gave you a sour face. " Who the hell eats spaghetti like that? What's wrong with just noodles, meat and sauce?"

You shifted a little and quickly glanced at him. He caught it again. That stupid fucking sadness. He wanted to tell you to stop it. Because it hurt his heart seeing it. He wanted to kiss it away. But he didn't.

" Well umm I do. When my dad left my mom she had a hard time making money. I ummm I had a small garden in our backyard that I started in like 6th grade. Remember when we had to sprout a bean in Mr Anderson's science class?"

Eddie nodded and watched you chop carrots.

" Well that's when I had the idea to start growing stuff. It started with super easy stuff like tomatoes and peppers. Then when I knew what I was doing, I started growing all this stuff." You pointed at the bags of veggies. " Uhh can you put water in the pot and start boiling it please?"

" Sure I'm here to help."

" Thanks"

" No problem, pretty girl. Okay so go on."

You nodded. " Okay so my mom could only afford the noodles. Meat was a luxury."

Eddie looked over his shoulder and saw your body tense. Like you didn't want to say that.

" But I digress. So one day I just put all of my harvest into one pot. Made my own sauce and added noodles… let me tell you Munson. We ate like royalty that night."

" So you still eat it like that?" He turned on the stove and put the water on. Adding salt and olive oil to the water.

"I do. It's nostalgic, you know. Honestly. It's really good. And I put meat in it now."

" Hmmm. I don't know…."

You laughed playfully pushing him. " Want to brown the meat for me?"

Eddie smiled. " Sure can."

You guys talked a little more. Eddie admitted that he didn't have a lot of money growing up too. That's why he sold drugs in highschool. He had just started talking about his uncle working overtime at the plant, when Delilah walked in.

" Ugh I'm so tired." She said throwing herself on the couch."

You looked at Eddie when she didn't greet him. A little annoyed you rolled your eyes

" Hi Delilah. Oh hi Eddie. Missed you today." You said sarcastically.

Eddie looked at you and you were narrowing your eyes at her.

" Right." Delilah got up and went to him. " I'm sorry babe. How was your day?"

He glanced over to you but you didn't look away from your chopping. " It uhh was good. Took the best nap."

He heard the chopping stop for a second before Delilah claimed his lips.

" Mmmm a nap sounds nice…common babe. Come rub my feet."

" Uhhh. But I'm helping with dinner. Can I do it later?"

Delilah pouted. " Please babe. My feet really hurt."

Eddie then felt your soft hand in his taking the spoon away from him.

" Go ahead, I got this." You said just above a whisper.

" See babe she's got it. Let's go."

Delilah grabbed his hand and started pulling him.

" Are you sure pretty girl?"

Still not looking at him you flicked your wrist and went on to brown the meat. As soon as you heard the door close you let out a deep sigh. You knew what Delilah meant when she asked for foot rub. It was code for sex. Oral sex that is. Your heart hurts knowing that. Not wanting to hear them you went and grabbed your earphones and opened up Spotify. Playing the album Eddie sent to you of his band. While you worked on dinner you allowed yourself to shed a few tears. Crying for your past and for a relationship that would never be. Why did it hurt so much seeing them together? Out of all the guys Delilah could be "dated" why did she have to pick him? And why were you so damn jealous of her? Once everything was done you made 3 plates. One for each of you. But Eddie's was different. You ended up putting aside some meat so that you could make his plate the way he liked it. After you grabbed your food and drink. Heading to your room. Eddie thought he would be used to Delilah by now. But every time he was with her it felt awkward. She was outrageously loud and she tasted weird. Not bad or anything. Just different. It was a little hard for him to get…well hard. Until he thought about you. Then he was good to go. Still knowing it put him in the asshole category. He just couldn't do it now without thinking about you. When Delilah fell asleep he went out to the kitchen to see if you were still cooking. But everything was cleaned up and he saw a posted note on one of the foil covered plates.

" The Munson special."

He grinned, pulling back the foil.

You didn't have to do that pretty girl. I would have eaten your way.

Eddie then heard you laugh. He grabbed his plate and went to see what you were laughing about.

" Hey. Can I eat with you?" He asked after you said the door was open.

" Umm yeah. I'm just watching That 70's Show."

He sat next to you and smiled. " Oh man, I love that show."

You smiled back. " Me too."

Eddie laughed. " Kelso is such a dumb ass."

" Yeah but man is he funny. I love how dramatic he says 'Burn!'."

" Right. So funny."

You returned your attention to the screen and noticed Eddie wasn't eating out the corner of your eye. You paused the show.

" What's wrong? Did I add too much salt?"

He looked at your plate then to you. " Uhh no. I wanted to try yours."

" Oh- okay. I thought you didn't like veggies."

" I don't. But you didn't have to go out of your way to make me my own. I would have just picked them out."

" Honestly, it wasn't a problem. But you really should try it my way. I promise it's good."

Eddie sat up straight and sucked the pasta sauce off his fork and was about to grab some of yours.

" Ewww. " You said moving your plate away. " Don't spread your germies over here."

Eddie chuckled. So damn cute pretty girl

"Here I'll pour a little on your plate."

You did so and Eddie grinned at you.

" Here goes nothing." He said before bringing his fork to his mouth.

You were staring at him and frowned when he made a face.

You looked away and started to pick at your plate. Eddie nudged you.

" Holy crap….okay we're switching."

You looked up and he gave you the biggest smile he could. "Man, that's really good. Common give it here."

He reached for your plate but you pulled away again.

" Oh no way. This is mine. You eat yours." You giggled.

Eddie gave you a pout and sat back" Aww common pretty girl. Sharing is caring."

" Damn Munson." You grinned. "Do you know how hard it is to say no with those pretty brown eyes of yours staring at me like that?"

He then stuck out his bottom lip.

" Ugh! No Munson. We're not switching….but give me your plate."

Eddie watched you mix his and your pastas together then put his plate on the bedside table.

" What about germies?" He grinned

" Ehhh it's whatever. If I die. Welp, it's okay. I'm ready to go home."

" Shut up."

" Geez I'm joking… let's eat before it gets cold."

Eddie nodded. He saw you lift the fork to your mouth while you played the show again. That's when he saw a band aid wrapped around your index finger.

"Hey what happened?" He pointed at your finger

"Oh…I'm clumsy. Cut my finger chopping onions."

" Is it bad?"

You shook your head lifting your finger so you could eye it.

"Oh yes Munson. I died. I saw my guts and I died of shock."

" Ahhh noooooo. You can't die. " He chuckled, grabbing your hand. " I won't let you die"

He then gave your finger a kiss.

" There pretty girl. I saved you."

You giggled. " Gee thanks Munson. I feel much better now."

" Yup." He sighed. " Kisses make everything better."

He let go of your hand and you started picking at the plate again. " I wonder if they work for broken kidneys."

Eddie's smile faded. He wished they could.

"Let's find out." He said getting to his knees and taking the plate off your lap.

" W-what?"

He then pulled off the blanket and got between your legs.

" Uhhh Munson?"

He clapped his hands, rubbing them together and smiled. " Don't worry. This will only hurt a little bit."

He lifted your shirt a little. And placed two small kisses on either side of your plush belly.

He then pulled your shirt back and patted your tummy.

" Better?"

You pressed your lips together to keep from laughing your butt off.

" What is it? Did it work?"

Small laughs escape as you covered your mouth. Eddie tilted his head and crossed his arms.

" I'm sorry. But umm… I think you kissed my pancreas and gallbladder."

He leaned his ass on his heels. " Shit. Where are they?"

You turned a little and pointed.

" Hmmm okay. Turn around and face the wall."

" Munson. It's fine. I was just joking."

" Hush. And turn please."

You gave him a look and he just shook his head, twirling a ringed finger.

After a second you gave in and turned.

This time when he kissed you. He ran his thumb over the spot first.

" Here?"

You looked over your shoulder and nodded.

Eddie moved to lay on his side, lifting your shirt a little.

Mmmm so warm.

His dick twitched in his sweats as his lips softly pressed a kiss on one side. He then dragged his lips over your lower back. He smiled when you jerked a little. While he kissed the other side your mouth parted and your eyes rolled back. His lips lingered there for a second then he gave you another kiss. This time his hand grabbed your hip.

" Babe?"

He quickly sat up and you pulled your shirt down hearing Delilah call for him. You turned around cursing yourself for letting him do that.

" There you are. Scoot over." She said coming into the room with her plate.

You moved over expecting her to sit between you two but she pushed Eddie over so that she could get in on the other side.

" Ohhh I love that 70's show. Jackie is my favorite."

You and Eddie were quiet. No longer hungry you gave Eddie the plate of food and sat there feeling like a complete jerk. He elbowed your arm and offered up the food and you held your hand up shaking your head. Eddie felt like shit. He shouldn't have done that. Now it was nearly impossible to not want to touch you. To hold you and kiss you. He didn't even watch the show anymore. He kept sneaking glances at you to see if you were okay. Then Delilah tugged at his arm so he could put it around her shoulders as she snuggled closer to him. After she did that Eddie watched you get up and take the empty plates away. Delilah was there laughing and kissing his neck. Everything about her annoyed him. The way she slobbered while kissing him like that. Hated her laugh and how her boney body felt against him. Before he thought she was a good kisser up until he wished it was you who was kissing him. He started to knit pick all the things he didn't like about her. He had to be honest with himself. He wasn't into Delilah the way he was into you. The conversations you guys had. All the laughs and emotional moments shared. It was clear to Eddie how he felt for you. And a part of him felt like it was mutual. Why else would you let him that close? Why would you let him come to your appointment, when you liked to do that alone? Why would you open up to him about your past? There had to be something there. He needed it to be. Because…he was falling in love with you.

When you went to the kitchen you rinsed the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. You sunk to the ground and leaned against the cabinets.

You are the fucking worst! She's your best friend.

While hanging your head you wiped your tears away. You could make up an excuse to explain why you let Eddie do that. You could claim it was an innocent kiss…or kisses. But to you, it was more than that. And the way he lingered there, giving you another kiss. It made you feel good. In your heart and between your legs. The whole day you've been fighting your feelings. Going round after round. Just barely winning. Until he kissed your finger. His beautiful full lips pressing a tender kiss on it made you want to grab his face and kiss the shit out of him. To finally tell him that you wanted him to be with you. But you couldn't. No matter how you felt for him. You had to bury it deep down and never let it see the light of day. You sniffled and heard footsteps down the hall. You quickly cleaned your face.

" Hey. What are you doing down there?"

You glanced at him and looked back down.

" Uhh sorry. Was feeling a little dizzy." You lied.

Eddie sat next to you. " Then why are you crying?"

" I'm not crying."

He stood quiet. He saw what you looked like when you cried. And he couldn't stand it. But he wasn't going to push you to tell him what's wrong.

" I'm sorry. I-" you sighed. " I umm I don't know what's wrong with me…it's like I hate that I'm sick. I hate that no one wants me because of it. That or because I'm big."

I want you pretty girl.

Eddie shook his head. " Sweetheart you're beautiful. And as for being sick. It's not that people don't want to be with you because of it. It's because you haven't found the right person who isn't scared."

Like me.

" Is it so wrong of me to want to feel like I want someone to care? To want someone to hold my hand when I'm scared. To stroke my hair when I feel like shit and tell me everything's gonna be okay. To be here for all the bad stuff as well as the good. I'm just…I'm just tired of feeling…alone."

" You're not alone, pretty girl…I'm here. And there's nothing wrong in wanting that stuff. I can give you all that…if you let me."

You looked at him and furrowed your brow.

" Munson, you don't know what comes with me." You looked away. " It's too much for a friend to do."

There was this long pause as Eddie shifted his body to face you. He grabbed your hand and caressed your cheek.

No. You better not. You say to yourself.

" Y/n….I…."

Shit! Don't. You can't. You silently pleaded.

Eddie sighed. He was just gonna put it out there and see what happens.

" I don't want-"

You pulled your hand away and stood up.

" It's getting late. I ummm I have something to do in the morning."

Eddie's heart just broke.

As you started for Delilah's room you looked back at him.

" You guys can sleep on my bed tonight. "

Eddie stood up. " But-"

" Goodnight Eddie."

Once you were gone, he felt sick. His body was shaking and he felt like he was gonna throw up. He didn't want to go to Delilah. He wanted to be with you. So instead, he told Delilah that he had to go. He didn't give her a hug or a kiss. He just left.

…

Waking up in the morning you thought that last night had to be some fucked up dream. That it was your brain acting a fool. Until you realized you weren't in your bed. You got up and went to your room and saw that Delilah was by herself.You got dressed in a hurry and left. Hoping you wouldn't catch Eddie on the way out. You weren't lying when you said you had something to do. Sure it was perfect timing. You couldn't let him say what you thought he was gonna say. Even though it's what you wanted since you saw him again. But that is betrayal in the highest order. Breaking girl code was not an option. It doesn't matter if you two were supposed to be together. Which was doubtful.

He didn't choose me. You kept repeating to yourself as you went to the record label.

The plan was, this coming Friday you were gonna have an A&R rep. check out Corroded Coffin. And if things went well. The guys would get signed to a label. That was the hope. You wanted to help. To give the guys a chance. You just needed what happened last night to not get in the way.

Eddie spent the morning in his bed. Maybe what he felt for you wasn't the same as how you felt. Your words rang in his ears.

' It's too much for a friend to do.'

Friend?

Is that what you thought of him? Was that all he would ever be? Sure he was with Delilah. But he decided he didn't want her. He should have never been with her to begin with. As the day went on all he wanted to do was talk to you. He missed you in ways he couldn't explain. Ways he was supposed to feel about his girlfriend. He couldn't handle the feelings that filled him. It was sadness he never felt before. It was a heartache that felt like his heart was falling. He decided to write. As tears fell from his eyes he sniffled and whimpered. He never felt like this for anyone. Even if he were to end things with Delilah, you wouldn't be with him. He knew that your loyalty to your friend was something you would not betray. No matter what, you were a good girl. And for once in his life he wished he was someone else. That he could go back to that night 3 months ago and leave with you.

What we could have been, would have made the universe jealous.

…

It was late into the evening when he finally couldn't take it anymore. He had to talk to you. He pulled out his phone and struggled with a greeting.

" Hey pretty girl. Still have some spaghetti left?"

He sighed and pressed send.

His phone chirped just a few seconds later.

" Sure do. 🙃"

He smiled. So you weren't freaking out about yesterday.

Good.

" Mmm. Have a hankering for the veggies. 😬"

" Liar. 🤥"

He laughed. " No lies precious. Not gonna let a guy starve are ya?"

He saw the little bubble pop up while you typed. But then it went away. He frowned for a second until the bubble came back up.

" Delilah isn't here." He read.

Sighing again he responded. " Oh…so I shouldn't come over and raid your fridge?"

" I mean. You can. I just don't want you to be bored or anything."

I could never be bored with you.

" How about I bring over my D&D stuff and you can help me write out a campaign?"

Please say yes. Please say yes.

" Hmmm….depends."

Well… it wasn't a no.

" On?"

" If you show up with ice cream. 🤔"

He chuckled. " What kind do you want?"

" Don't judge??"

" If you say mint chocolate chip. I might have to rethink our friendship. 😖"

" 🥺🥺"

He grinned. " I'll be right over you psycho."

" Okay. See you soon. ☺️"

Eddie was so giddy. You made him feel like he was a teenager with a crush. But it was more than that wasn't it?

When he got to your place you had already had plates warmed up and a notepad with pencil.

" Hey Munson." You greeted him at the door.

" Hey pretty girl. I got your abomination." He said holding up a grocery store bag.

You chuckled " Oh you're a saint Munson."

You took the bag and placed the ice cream in the freezer.

You guys sat and ate. Talking about the campaign. Eddie had never seen you so excited. The way your eyes lit up when you had an idea was everything.

After a while you guys just sat there enjoying one another's company. You shifted a little and the look on your face worried him.

" You okay sweetheart."

" Mhmm." You winced trying to get into a comfortable position.

" What's wrong?" His voice and eyes filled with concern.

" Emmm it's nothing. Don't worry."

" Y/n?"

You looked at him and tried to smile. " It's okay. It just hurts sometimes."

" Do you have medicine for it?"

You nodded. " But I don't like taking it. Makes me all loopy."

" You should if you need it."

" Yeah. But I don't like it. And I can usually handle it."

Eddie nodded then had a thought.

" Umm you know what can help with pain?"

" Hmm?" You said looking at your lap and tugging on your long sleeve.

" Some medical grade Mary Jane."

You looked up and scrunched your nose in a cute way, that he wanted to kiss it.

" I haven't smoked since high school."

Eddie then got up and grabbed his jacket. Pulling out a joint and a lighter. He then threw himself on the couch closer to you.

" If you want. We can…. It will help." He said sheepishly.

" Ummm it's just weed right?"

He looked at you offended.

"Sweetheart, I would never give anyone a laced joint. That's not how I do things."

You gave him a questionable look.

" Tell you what. I'll smoke with you. I'll even take the first hit."

Eddie gave you a smile while you chewed on cheek.

" O-okay. But not too much."

Eddie got up and went to get a small dish for the ashes. When he sat back down he got even closer. He lit the end and put the lighter on the coffee table, leaning back into the couch. Legs spread wide that his knee was touching yours. Eddie felt your eyes on him as he leaned his head back and blew the smoke upwards. He then turned his head and smiled at you. You blushed and smiled too. He handed you the joint and you took a half hit before handing it back. Eddie took it and took one long drag before holding in the smoke and putting out the joint. He looked at you and lifted his hand and motioned you to come closer. You weren't even really thinking when you leaned forward. He grabbed your chin gently and you opened your mouth. He moved closer to you and stared at your gorgeous lips as he blew in the smoke. You sucked in his smoke and leaned back out of his reach. Your breath was a little shaky as you blew out. He watched you and just smiled. You were honestly so pretty today.

" Can I uhhh ask you a question ?"

You leaned the side of your face on the back of the couch and nodded.

" If you could go back in time, to one day and relive a single moment. What would it be?"

You sat with your eyes closed, thinking. There were so many. But only one kept coming up.

" I think it would be the last good day I had with my mom."

Eddie looked at you and put a hand on your thigh.

" She was sick for a long time. And it was just before I moved here." You swallowed. " She was having a good day. One that came very rarely. I wanted to stay in Hawkins and take care of her. But she didn't want that account of me. She said ' baby girl, you need to live your life. You need to follow your dreams. And this place will only keep you from them. I'll be fine.' … That day I drove her out to Lovers Lake. We had a picnic and ate so many gummy bears I had gotten a stomach ache. But I didn't care. She was so happy that day. She was so full of life and she told me stories about her childhood and how she fell in love with my father."

You went quiet and Eddie moved as close as he could to you. Grabbing your legs and draping them over his thighs. He put an arm around your shoulders and let you rest your head on his shoulder.

" I uhh was on the road when I got the call. It was a year later…I hadn't seen her since I left. " Tears started to fall and you wiped them away quickly. " But yeah. I would like to relive that day. To tell her how much I loved her…I just want to talk to her again you know. To hear her laugh again."

Eddie held you a little tighter.

" I hope I'm making her proud. Because everything I do…is for her."

He started rubbing his hand up and down your leg.

" She's proud pretty girl."

You sniffled and wiped your nose on your sleeve.

Clearing your throat you asked him the same question.

He felt your hand on his hip, slowly running your thumb over a small part of his tummy.

Should I do this? After that?...Yeah, I have to. He thought.

" I uhh. I would have to say the night I saw you again."

You lifted your head and looked at him. Feeling a little fuzzy from the weed.

Eddie met your eyes and wanted so badly to kiss you.

" Why do you want to relive that night? Did you have such a good time listening to my awesome songs?"

Eddie chuckled. "Truthfully, I was pissed."

You furrowed your eyebrows. " What? Why?"

" Because you guys took our spot."

" Aww… I said-"

" But then I saw you. Well heard first then saw you."

You looked back and forth between his eyes.

" And?"

" I…I was thinking how great you were."

You smiled. " Thanks."

Eddie cleared his throat. " So the reason I want to relive that night was because I want to change it."

" W-what would you change?"

He paused for a moment. He had to do this.

" I would have asked to go with you."

You licked your lips and looked away.

" Why?"

He cupped your face making you look back at him.

" Because things would be different for us…I would be with you."

Eddie heard you suck in a breath and hold it. He started to feel the effects of the weed but tried not to let it cloud his judgment. He started to lean in. Going for a kiss but you put a hand on his chest and pushed him away. After you got up and went to put the dishes in the sink.

" Y/n i-"

" No Eddie. This isn't okay."

He got up and went to you.

" Y/n please. I know you feel something for me too."

You took a step back and shook your head.

" This is a line that I won't cross. It doesn't matter if I have feelings for you or not."

Eddie took a step towards you. " I get that. I do. But I can't just sit here and ignore the fact that you're the one I want."

You shook your head again. " I don't want to hear that."

" Well you're gonna hear it." He said closing the distance. " Look, this is already hard for me. Being around you. Getting to know you. Seeing how incredible you are. You're beautiful and kind. You're talented and so damn funny. You're such an amazingly strong woman. Who has a great head on your shoulders. You and I have this connection…I felt it when you first locked eyes with me. Then I felt it again the second time. And I still feel it every time I see you."

He grabbed your hand and put it over his heart.

" I felt it here…you hear me, sweetheart …you see me. You're interested in my life. You care about what I have to say. Even if it's some of the dumbest shit you've heard…I know this isn't the ideal situation and this is not how I wanted to do this. But you're the person I can't stop thinking about. You're the person I can't go a day without talking to. You're the person I can see a future with."

You shook your head and pulled away. Going back to the sink to wash dishes. You need to keep your hands busy. Give you a minute to go through what he just said. And the weed did not help you think clearly.

Eddie wanted to pull you away and just hug you. But instead he walked around the counter and sat down. Studying you. Trying to memorize how you acted when you were overwhelmed.

" Y/n…I know this sounds bad considering the situation. But I want to be there for you. I want to be the one who holds your hand when things get tough. I want to be the one to hold your hair for you when you get sick…this is not just a friendship to me. You know more about me than my own girlfriend."

" That's just it Eddie. Your girlfriend." You shook your head. " You have a girlfriend."

His voice was defeated " I know. But I don't want her to be."

" Well she is. You made that choice. Now we both have to live with consequences."

Eddie was quiet again. He started drumming his fingers on his thigh. A habit you knew since high school meant he was nervous.

" What did you think would happen? Did you think you were gonna tell me this stuff and expect me to jump into your arms and tell you that I want you too?"

He bit his lip and looked away. " No….I just wanted to say how I feel."

" Well you said it. Now what? We go back to normal? For 3 months I have watched you kiss her. I've heard you two have sex. I've seen her hang on you and touch you…And did you ever think that maybe seeing that would hurt me? After all the talks, how close we got. Did you think that I might have feelings for you too? That I just let anyone get close. That seeing you and Delilah doing all the things we should be doing would break my heart?" You looked up from the sink at him. " Because let me tell you something. It did. More than you know…I have liked you for a long time. Way before you met Delilah. Before you helped me back in high school. I wanted you. But I can't have you. Even if you broke up with her. Even if she accepts us… Because of this…. How we acted towards each other. How could I ever trust you? I see what you do and say when you have a girlfriend. You would just treat me the same way. Once you get bored with the sex or whatever, you will find some other poor girl and break her heart too."

Eddie stood up and grabbed his jacket. " I'm not that guy. And it hurts that you think I would do anything like that…I wouldn't. Not to you. Did you hear anything I said? Not once did I mention sex…because that's not the only thing I want from you. With Delilah that's all it was. And it's not that I got bored with her. It's because she's not you. She doesn't look at me like you do. She doesn't care that she can go days without talking to me. To be honest I don't care either. Because I can't even go a few hours without talking to you…I know you think this isn't right. Shit I know it isn't. But I don't care because I'm in love with you. And I'm gonna be here for you if we're together or not. I'm gonna do everything I can to get you to see that I'm the guy for you. "

He went around the counter again and gave you a kiss on the side of your head.

" Whatever I do from this point on is for you…goodnight pretty girl."

…

When Eddie left the first thing he did was call Delilah. But she didn't answer. He messaged her and asked for her to come over. However she never read the text. He was gonna do it. He was gonna tell her it was over. He was gonna be honest and tell her that he had feelings for you. But beg her not to be upset with you. It wasn't your fault. You cared about her and would never do anything to hurt her. So as he waited for her to get back to him, he went to work.

You didn't know what to do with yourself. Never did you think that he would actually say those things to you. You've wished for it and dreamt of it. But, this was not what you expected tonight. Tomorrow was going to be awkward. How were you gonna go to the club and sit there watching Eddie perform? Knowing that he loves you the way you love him. Still there was your best friend. She trusted you. And you being the shittiest friend, you stole her guy from right under her. Not that it was something you planned. But you should have never got close to him to begin with.

As you tortured yourself for the rest of the night you finally went to bed. Tossing and turning. When you fell asleep, you were woken up by moaning.

Tears filled your eyes as you got up.

How could you have sex with her when you just-

All of a sudden you heard Delilah say a name that was most definitely not Eddie. You opened your door and silently as possible walked towards the living room. Peaking around the corner you saw Delilah on her hands and knees with this very muscular dirty blonde guy. He was taking her from behind. You covered your mouth and went back to your room.

" What the fuck Delilah?!" You said to yourself. " What about Eddie?"

You looked at your phone and it was 1 in the morning.

Eddie should still be at work.

You opened your messages and texted him.

" Munson, have you talked to Delilah?"

Eddie looked at his phone immediately. Quickly texting you back.

" No. Haven't talked to her all day. But I plan on it when I get off. Is she home?"

Fuck!

" No, not yet. I think she's doing an all nighter."

Eddie rolled his eyes. She has been doing that a lot lately.

" Okay. Well, will you please let me know when she comes? We need to have a talk."

You wanted to see him. You wanted to tell him what you just saw. But you couldn't. She was your friend and you couldn't snitch on her.

" Yeah I will."

Eddie got back to you a few minutes later.

" Sweetheart, I'm gonna make things right. I love you."

You didn't message him back. All you did was sit there and played music until you heard Delilah escort the guy out. You got up so fast you almost fell. You stood in the hallway and waited until she locked the door.

" SERIOUSLY DELILAH?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"

She jumped and turned around. " Holy shit! I didn't know you were home."

" Uhh yeah! Seriously who the fuck was that?!"

" O-oh umm haha he's just a guy I work with." She said moving to the couch.

" Delilah!"

" What?! He's hot. Of course I had to hit that."

" And Eddie?"

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. " Please. What about him? He's a loser."

Your eyes widened and you clenched your fist.

" If you thought that, why are you dating him?"

She shrugged. " I was bored and he was nice to me."

You could punch her. God you wanted to.

" You were bored?"

She looked at you and narrowed her eyes.

" Yes I was bored. And he's cute. But he's going nowhere and his band sucks."

You were breathing hard now. Trying to calm down enough to not knock her into the next life.

" They don't suck Delilah. Eddie is doing everything he can to make it."

She laughed. " Oh please. The guy's a bum. All he does is come to fuck me and talk about you…I actually think he has a crush on you…isn't that ridiculous? Like you would ever."

" He-he talks to you about me?"

She rolled her eyes again. " Yeah. He always asks if you're okay. Or whenever we do something together. He says to ask if you want to come. Honestly it's annoying."

You un-clench your fist and took a deep breath.

" Delilah…i-"

She smiled menacingly at you. " Did you fuck him?"

" What?! No!"

" But you want to?"

You shook your head. " No-"

" Don't lie." She said getting up, and getting in your face. " I see how you look at him. How you're always so close to him."

" N-no. That's not-"

She pushed you. " You're my friend. How could you like my boyfriend?"

You pushed her right back.

" I don't like Eddie…I love him! Always have. But I pushed how I felt for him away. So that you could be happy. But then you pull some shit like this! Calling him a loser. How could you do that? If you don't want him, let someone else love him the way he deserves."

She took a step back. " You love him?"

"I… I'm sorry."

Delilah looked completely betrayed. " Well it doesn't matter because he's with me. He chose me not you. He came backstage for me and he was the one who asked me out."

God you wanted to tell her what Eddie said to you. But it was true. He did all those things for her.

You swallowed. " You're right. He did pick you. So at least you could answer him back. He's been trying to talk to you all day. He doesn't deserve you ghosting him or cheating on him."

She scoffed." I'm gonna do what I want. He's my boyfriend. And as far as I know he still is. So back off! If you say anything to him. I'll leave the band."

You stood there watching her walk away. All you wanted to do was cry and see Eddie. When did your best friend get like this? She used to be so nice.

…

Eddie was cleaning the bar after the last call. He was stacking chairs when he heard the front door bell.

" We're closed." He said rather loudly.

" I know. "

Eddie looked up and saw you standing there in your pajamas, robe and slippers

" Hey. What's going on?" He asked, jogging the few feet to you. Cupping your face and checking you over. " Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

You were sad. He could see that.

" No. I'm okay. Well as okay as I can be."

" Sweetheart, it's late. What are you doing here? In your pajamas."

You looked down. " I…I needed to see you."

He nodded " Okay. Umm let me finish up and we can talk."

Eddie led you to the bar and pulled out a stool for you.

" Do you want some water or something to snack on?"

" Water sounds good."

He nodded again and grabbed you a glass. After he hurried to finish up.

" Okay pretty girl. What's going on?"

" I need to ask you something."

He grabbed your hand. " Anything. You can ask me anything."

You looked him in the eyes. " Why did you ask Delilah to be your girlfriend if you felt something for me?"

Eddie moved closer to you and put a hand on the small of your back.

" It's stupid. I know that. But it was the only way I could think of to spend time with you. "

" You should have just told me from the start. We're not kids. I don't play games. I don't have time for it. And my time means a lot to me, because I don't know how much I have. None of us do." You were quiet for a second before you continued. " I just told my best friend that I love you."

Eddie's heart started to race. He started getting nervous. But in a good way.

" Y-you do?" He asked.

" I do. I'm in love with you too. But…"

He shook his head. " No. No buts. That's all I need to know."

"Munson i-"

" Sweetheart, I don't want to hear you say that we can't do this. That you won't because of Delilah. She's not your problem. She's mine. "

You looked at your glass of water. " Can I stay the night with you?"

He smiled a little" Y-yeah. Common."

The whole ride to his place was quiet. You didn't say anything. It was like you were trying to convince yourself of something.

Eddie opened the door to his apartment and led you to his room.

" The uhh guys are at their girlfriends places"

You nodded and looked around his room, while he cleaned up a bit. You saw pictures of his old friends from Hellfire and admired his collection of tapes and CDs. He had an array of VHS tapes that surprised you.

Finally your eyes settled on his high school diploma. Just seeing it, you were so proud of him.

" I'm sorry. I didn't think I would have anyone over." He said, grabbing the empty beer cans on the dresser.

You grabbed his arm gently.

" Munson stop. You don't need to do this."

" I-I'm just a little embarrassed."

" Don't be."

The look in your eye made him relax. He nodded and went to sit on the edge of the bed. You took a second before sitting with him.

" I don't want to do anything tonight. I just want to be near you."

" That's more than fine. Even if you did, I couldn't. Not until I talk to Delilah."

You nodded, kicked off your slippers and crawled into his bed.

Eddie smiled seeing you all snuggled up with one of his pillows. He changed real fast and got in too.

" Goodnight Munson. I…I love you."

He looked at the back of your head and leaned in to hug you.

" Goodnight pretty girl. I love you too."

…

The next day Eddie woke up with you in his arms. This was the first time in a very long time that he slept comfortably . Last night was a night of many firsts for him. It was the first time a girl said that she loved him. It was the first time he brought a girl back to his place and it was definitely new to sleep with one without actually sleeping with them. In all his 24 years of life he never thought this would happen. He was more than smitten. More than happy. It felt like he waited a lifetime for you. All he had to do now was deal with Delilah. He gave you a squeeze before getting out of bed and getting dressed. He took one last look at you before taking off.

When you woke up you were scared for a second. You looked at your phone and it was 2 in the afternoon. You closed your eyes and hugged Eddie's pillow. Breathing in his smoke and body wash.

You moaned softly, burying your face.

Eddie chuckled seeing you like that. It was the damn cutest.

" Hey pretty girl."

You looked up with wide eyes. Like you were just caught doing something bad.

" Uhh h-hi…sorry… your bed is really comfy."

He smiled at you and liked seeing you in his bed.

" I brought you some clothes."

He moved from the door and sat next to you. Handing your backpack over.

" You went to my place?" You asked, digging through the clothes.

" I went to talk to Delilah."

You gulped and looked at him.

" She's pissed…thought you told me she cheated…you umm saw them?"

You looked at your pack and nodded.

Eddie put a hand in the middle of your back. " I'm sorry you had to see that sweetheart."

" Y-you're not mad?"

"At you or Delilah?"

" Both I guess."

" Mad at Delilah for being an asshole to you. Not mad at you. I know you couldn't tell me."

" I wanted to."

" I know. But she's still your friend."

" Y-yeah…umm how did you find out she cheated?"

Eddie laid down and held out his arms for you. You smiled a little at him and cuddled.

" She's been texting guys for a while. Sometimes when she comes from work she smells like guys cologne."

You furrowed your brow and looked up.

" So you knew she was with other dudes and you still had sex with her?"

He sighed. " Well no. The last time we actually had sex was 3 ish weeks ago. It's just been oral lately."

Eddie felt your body tense up as your eyes focused somewhere else.

" I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

" It's…it's fine. So are you guys over?"

" Yeah."

You nodded and started caressing his side.

" Is she-"

" No. I told her it was my fault all of this happened. She seemed to believe me after she threw a water bottle at my head."

" She didn't."

" Well she threw a lot of stuff. But it was the bottle that got me."

" I'm sorry."

He hugged you tighter. " I would take a million water bottles to the head, for you."

Your soft giggle made his heart full.

" Always had a thing for the dramatics huh?"

He grinned. " Guess so."

You were quiet for a second before clearing your throat.

" Does she know I'm here?"

" Uhhh yeah…so she's a little pissed at that. So I figured I would grab a few days worth of clothes. Just in case."

" I can stay somewhere else."

"If you want to, you can. But sweetheart I'm gonna be honest with you…I would love it if you stayed with me."

Silence fell again. Before Eddie knew it he heard your soft snores. He smiled to himself.

Guess that's a yes.

…

The night started off good. You and Eddie went to the club. You looked more tired than usual but you were smiling and that's all he cared about. The band was on their third song when Eddie noticed a guy approaching the table where you were. Jealousy filled him seeing the guy give you a hug and a kiss on the cheek. You must have known him since he got that close so fast. It took Eddie weeks to get like that. Either way, he was upset. Well that was until he caught your eye. And for the first time since he's known you. You didn't have that hint of sadness there. What he saw was joy and love. Your big beautiful eyes sparkled and he was memorized. The smile had distracted him, making him miss a note.

You noticed the mistake and looked away with a pretty smile. Eddie wanted to jump off the stage and kiss you. But he couldn't. Instead he played his heart out for you. And at the end of the set he joined you. You introduced him to Mark. To his surprise you had done something for him that no one had ever done before. You got him and the band an opportunity to have their music heard. That night when you went back to his place he thanked you for what you did. And for coming to see them. You were tired as usual and fell asleep before him.

He stared at you for what seemed like hours. He was happy for the shot. But he worried that maybe you would think that he was using you and your connections. Not wanting that, he decided to do something he had never done before. He was going to introduce you to his uncle. 2 weeks went by and you found yourself in Hawkins again. It's been so long that you nearly forgot your home. Everything was so perfect. Meeting Eddie's family and friends meant more to you than you could explain. For the first time a guy thought you were important enough to meet the people he loved. Things with the relationship you had with Eddie went very slow. But career wise everything went by so fast. Corroded Coffin joined the new tour, opening up for you guys. Delilah quickly moved on to a new guy. And acted like you and Eddie didn't exist. Only when it came to performing was when she acknowledged your existence. After the argument she moved out and Eddie basically moved in.

A few months later while on the road you got really sick and had to be hospitalized. Eddie was there every day. Things weren't looking so good for you and he thought he was going to lose you before you guys even had a chance to be together for real. With everything going on in your lives it was hard to have the relationship. Especially you being in constant pain. So the day you got back to semi-normal you guys were in Colorado springs. It was a beautiful day. A little chilly for the spring but in a gorgeous place Eddie had a plan. He took you to lunch and afterwards you guys went on a scenic tour. You guys stopped to take in the view of the mountains and just sat in the grass. You had your head on his shoulder looking out.

" It's beautiful here. It's so calm and the air smells so good."

Eddie smiled looking out too. The slight breeze blowing his curls back. " You know I like living in New York, but something about this place seems like a good place to settle down and have kids."

You let out a small nose laugh. " If only."

He rested his cheek on your head. " If only what?"

You sighed. " I don't know. If we weren't in a band. And touring-"

"Marry me?"

You pulled away a little and looked into his eyes.

"W-what?"

He pulled out a black velvet box from his pocket and opened it. Showing you a beautiful engagement ring.

" Sweetheart, we wasted so much time already. I don't want to go another minute without you being mine forever. I know this isn't some grand proposal but I love you. And you would make me the happiest man in the world if you would be my wife."

You took a minute to think. Though you were in love with him, this was rather fast. And he didn't know what he was getting into.

" Eddie, we haven't even kissed. Or had sex."

" I know. But I want to do this right. I want you to be my wife before that. I want you to see that I love you no matter what."

He saw your lip trembling and your eyes filled with tears. And when you looked away from him, his heart broke. Then you asked him to kiss you.

" I know what I feel in my heart. But I would like you to kiss me. And if it feels like I know it should, I'll marry you."

Eddie stood up and helped you to your feet. He cupped your face and looked deeply into your big beautiful eyes. Tucking your hair behind your ears before leaning in. Everything stopped, and it was quiet. It was like the world just froze. Everything melted away and it was as if it was only you and him. He was floating. He felt everything all at once. And saw a flash of many, many more of these kisses. When the kiss broke your foreheads met.

Eddie whispered. " Marry me, pretty girl?"

…

Eddie had 7 wonderful years with you until you passed. You guys got married 3 months after the proposal and about 6 months later you were pregnant with your first son. Then a year later another beautiful boy. As he got older he never remarried or even saw anyone. He felt as if he found his soulmate and he would never find that again. His son's grew up and got married and had kids of their own. Eddie was content with his life and his children. But he missed you every second of every day. He didn't know if you would be waiting for him on the other side or not. But he hoped you would.

He was 79 years old now and he knew the end was coming. He could feel it. So he wanted to see you. He went to your grave and sat with you.

" Hey pretty girl." He smiled at your little picture on the stone. " I miss you sweetheart."

He then proceeded to tell you what the boys were up to and told you about how much the grand kids look like you. He sat there for a while and put a hand on your stone.

" I'm coming, sweetheart. "

Later that night Eddie closed his eyes for the last time. When he opened them he saw you standing in the small field in Colorado. Your hair was blowing in the wind and you were looking out to the mountains. He ran to you and pulled you into his arms. You laughed and the sound of it brought tears to his eyes. It was so long since he heard it. He felt so terrible when he forgot it.

" Please tell me this is real." He said before kissing the top of your head.

" It better be." You giggled.

He leaned back to finally get a good look at you. You stared up at him with big eyes that he loved so much. No hint of sadness in sight and a breathtaking smile. You were glowing. Like you were never sick. You looked…beautiful. The most beautiful he had ever seen you. And not a day older since he lost you.

You beamed at him. " Hi baby."

He smiled and wiped his eyes. Giving you a soft kiss. After a moment you guys held one another.

" Is this heaven?" He asked. " It must be since you're here."

You laughed again making his smile bigger.

" This is whatever you want it to be… We can stay here. Or we can go back... Change things."

" Change things?" He said tucking your hair behind your ear.

" You once told me if you could go back and relive a single moment, you would go back to the night we saw each other again. You said you would change what you did…if you want we can go back and do it differently."

"Would….would you still…"

You nodded. " I was always going to go. That we can't change."

Eddie tried to figure out your expression. He didn't know what you wanted.

" You're not gonna help me make this choice are you?"

You smiled and then gave him a kiss.

" Baby, you already know what you're gonna pick. You don't need my help with it."

Eddie thought for a second. " If we stay here?"

" Then we live happily ever after, in the place we choose to be together forever."

You looked out to the mountains then down to your wedding rings.

" What about our boys?" He asked.

You cupped his face and kissed him again.

" They will come when it's their time. And not a second earlier. Then they will make their choice."

He nodded." What was your choice, pretty girl?"

You moved his bangs to see his eyes better. " To wait for you. So the next step I take is with you."

Eddie met your forehead with his. " I wanna stay."

You smiled sweetly. " Then we stay."

He kissed you deeply and turned to look at the mountains with you after. Holding you while you rested your head on his shoulder.

…

@salenorona23

#fanfic #eddie munson #eddie munson x female original character #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x plus size reader #eddie x reader #stranger things #eddie my beloved #eddie x fem!reader #eddie x y/n #eddie x oc #eddie munson x reader #plus size reader #Spotify #SoundCloud

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eloisehuang · 26 days

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— whoa! ELOISE "ELLE" HUANG just stole my cab! not cool, but maybe they needed it more. they have lived in the city for 28 YEARS, working as a/an MUSICIAN/OCCASIONAL ACTRESS. that can’t be easy, especially at only 28 YEARS OLD. some people say they can be a little bit DECEITFUL and IMPULSIVE , but i know them to be JOVIAL and SINCERE. whatever. i guess i’ll catch the next cab. hope they like the ride back to BROOKLYN!

pinterest!!

CHARACTER INFORMATION

face claim: courtney eaton

full name: eloise huang

nickname(s): elle, ellie, e

pronouns & gender: she/her & ciswoman

sexuality: bisexual

birth date: july 17, 1996

birth place: albany, australia

occupation: singer/occasional actress

family: father - theodore huang | mother - amira barrett

BACKGROUND / BIO

eloise knew from the moment she entered this world that she was the star in her father's eyes, theo showered her with so much love that she didn't know what to do with it all but it was the complete opposite when it came to her mother. she understood the term mothers are their daughter's worst enemy a little too well because her whole life it felt like eloise was in competition with her. anytime her father, gave her any type of affection it came with endless amounts of complains from her mom that it made her want none of it. if eloise got something from her dad she had to pretend that it didn't mean the world to her just so that the moment wouldn't be ruined but the look on her dad's face would tell her that that was worse.

then one day, when she came home early from school (college) and heard a noise upstairs, she found amira underneath the married man from next door. was she shocked? of course. but was she surprised by it? not at all. not when she has never seen her mother give her dad an ounce of love. her father always told her that it was because she had rough childhood and didn't know how to really love. all these years, eloise and her father dealt with it and this was how she had repaid them. as if that wasn't bad enough, when the divorced happened, amira tried to hurt them by saying that she wasn't his daughter but that didn't change anything. they both knew that they were family.

one of the things she had in common with her dad was that they both loved to sing and write songs, she learned from him how to tell stories through music. theo wrote songs for many people that he was signed with. it had always been a dream of eloise's to follow in his footsteps but she didn't want be in his shadow. she disguised herself on tiktok so she could play her own music and that lead her to get discovered by a label on her own. like every high, eloise knows that there must be a fall but only time will tell when it will all crash down. in the meantime, she'll be taking every moment in.

THIS IS MORE OOC INFORMATION

she's a nepo baby first and foremost but she has a passion for having fun which includes acting here and there but music is very important to her. i would say her dad is somewhat like phil collins (musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and writer) and her music gives of jackson wang vibes. a little chinese and mostly english.

#boroughs.intro #i suck at intros so i'll probably update this at a later time

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honeysmokedham · 9 months

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TIMING: July 18th LOCATION: in the mines People: Metzli @muertarte & Nora @honeysmokedham SUMMARY: Metzli comes to visit Nora in the mines to see why the girl is obsessed with the place. CONTENT WARNINGS: none

The way Nora spoke about the mines with a reverence that bordered on obsession was a cause for concern. As beautiful as the gems that covered her body were, Metzli wasn’t sure how safe she was. They needed to see for themself, experience what she spoke about so that they could be assured she wasn’t in danger.

Nora had plenty of people that cared for her, but how many had actually ventured out to do this very task? Showed her the contents of their heart through action? Metzli wasn’t sure, but they were more than willing to try.

“Nora?” They called out, their voice echoing down into the darkness of the mines before fizzling into nothing more than silence. There was a hint of natural body odor, mixed with past due ham and stale dirt. Oddly enough though, they smelled Cass too. The familiar scent of sulfur and sediment was clinging heavily in the air, likely from how often she visited. But the other? Had to be Nora, Metzli thought, walking into the void until they managed to see a jagged and distorted figure in the distance. Even with their night vision, they couldn’t recognize the person in front of them, but the scent grew strong enough for Metzli to know it had to be Nora.

“I have come. Like you recommend.”

The mines were a holy place. A place of protection and safety. Nora was a simple acolyte in the worship of the mines. A simple jester in the court of its whims. Whatever the mines wanted of her, she would do. Nora knew what the mines wanted, because she could swear she heard it whispering in the crystals that wrapped around her body. The mines wanted more people. The mines wanted a city to have and to hold, until death did them part. Nora was loath to leave the mines, how could she when they gripped her so tightly, so she had taken to inviting people to come join her.

“I have come. Like you recommend.”

Those words were a chorus of angels, singing their ascension into the mines heavens. Another potential disciple, come to see the most wonderful place to have existed. “Metzli.” Nora slid off the rock she’d been sitting on, gravitating closer to the entrance. Cass wasn’t in the mines at the moment, and Nora had found herself like a ghost haunting the empty mines with no clue what she was going to do. Now that another presence had entered the mines she found herself with a purpose again. Get people to stay in the mines.

“Welcome.” Nora approached slowly, giving Metzli time to take in her appearance. The crystals. The monster within revealed outside. “Welcome to the mines. I hope you decide to stay. The mines welcome everyone.”

With Nora finally turned to them, Metzli could get a good look at just how the mines had changed Nora. They’d seen the image she sent them, watched her during dinner, but there was something entirely different, something hauntingly beautiful about Nora being in the place that complemented her new form. Even still, Metzli could see there was an underlying tone of malice. Not the usual malicious energy Nora gave off to intimidate others. It wasn’t quite her own.

“Do not know if I can stay, but I will like to visit.” Finding a rock that seemed suitable enough, Metzli took a seat and glided their fingers gently over the jagged stone. It was unlike anything they’d seen before, and they didn’t know much about rocks like Cass did, but they knew what energy felt like. “Do you have enough food down here? I only brought a little.” Nora had always kept her ham in her pockets, so Metzli did the same when they packed it in a ziplock bag. “Here you go.” They handed it over, face unchanging as they asked a serious question.

“Why do you stay here?”

“I wish everyone would stay here.” It had been her heart's desire for what must have been a lifetime now. Every day, Nora was on the website asking people to join her in the mines, and everyday people were questioning what the point was. Some people might get tired of talking about the mines. Some people might find how repetitive and consistent a person could really get about a singular place to be tiresome and hard to keep describing over and over and over again. But Nora loved it. Nora figured she could read a dictionary if she ever ran out of the adjectives to describe the mines. But she only needed one. Perfect.

“People have been bringing us food.” Nora admitted. It really spoke to the life that she and Cass had made here. People cared about the two of them. People wanted them to survive, even if they were whisked away in the mines. At another time, Nora would have reflected on that deeply. How touching that was. How it was everything she could have asked for. Currently, she could only wish that they stayed in the mines with them. “I will never say no to more food.” Because at the end of the day, Nora was a hungry one. Nora accepted Metzli’s offering with a nod of thanks, shoving the baggie of ham into her pocket, but not before a piece found its way into her mouth.

“Where else is there to go?” Nora asked, her monotone voice trying to convey how serious she was about the mines. “The mines are perfect. The mines are safe. The mines are the only place anyone needs to be. To leave would be to betray them. I wish you would stay. You could understand if you stayed.”

Nora’s wish felt like it came from deep within her, yet still so far away. The two hadn’t known each other very long, but Metzli didn’t take Nora to be the type to be so obsessive over something like a mine. For a few beats, the vampire pondered, scanning the surroundings and appreciating the beauty that Nora was speaking of as she pocketed the ham.

Taking a deep inhale, Metzli closed their eyes. They could’ve sworn they could hear a faint melody around them. As if the stone was singing to them, asking them to stay. The chorus swirled together in a gentle hum, practically lifting Metzli’s chest with its energy. No wonder Nora wanted to stay, encouraging others to do the same. It felt safe. It felt welcoming. But it wasn’t home. Not for Metzli.

“It is beautiful, yes.” Their eyes opened, landing on Nora gently. “But I was in something like a cave long time. It will only feel like home because you are here, but there is more to find outside. That is why I cannot stay. I am sorry.”

There was a reverberation in Nora’s crystal chest. It echoed up through her throat and against her crystal jaw each time she spoke. It was the voice the mines had given to her. It was the gift at a second chance, one she had to use to convince everyone to stay. The mines wanted people here. Didn’t they see? Didn’t they see how the mines would protect them.

“The mines want to be your home.” A tone of sadness touched Nora’s monotone. “Please, Metzli. They want you here. They want all of us here. It's not home because of me, or Cass. We’re just here enjoying the home that was offered. It’s home because the mines make room for us. Because it offers us shelter. Please, come deeper. I’ll show you. I’ll show you everything.”

There were caverns of glowing crystals, and caverns of darkness. Every now and then the scent of a monster could be caught up ahead. A few times Nora had come face to face with another crystal beast just like her. They would stare at each other in silence before heading their separate ways, because they both understood. The mines were safe.

The tinge of developing sorrow in Nora’s voice made Metzli’s throat tighten, guilt balling itself up and lodging there. She wanted to share something she loved so desperately, but the vampire would continue to deny her. There was something strange about the mines, something they couldn’t figure out.

At the very least, Nora hadn’t been hurt, and if Cass was more than capable of taking care of herself and the young bear. Metzli did have to wonder, though. How did Cass not behave this way if she had been spending just as much time down in the mines?

“I do not want to go deeper, Nora. I want to go outside. What is so scary about outside that you hide in here? Are you not fear itself?”

“Scared?” Nora blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. She let the words wrap around her, as she tried to understand why Metzli would think Nora was scared. Is it because she kept saying the mines were safe? Nora blinked again, her eyes were getting dry from all the blinking. “I’m not scared of anything. I can go outside the mines. I went outside the mines for Cass’s birthday dinner.”

Nora’s arms crossed her body, her right hand absently tracing the lines of the crystal going up her left arm. “It’s not fear that holds me here. It’s love. Lead by love, or something.” Nora glanced back into the depths of the mines, fondness filling every inch of her as she considered the mines. “I just really like it. It’s like ham. Other food is okay, but if I know ham is my favorite food, why would I eat it? The mines are the best place. Why would I go someplace else? It could be your favorite place too. If you let me show you.”

Of course Nora wasn’t actually scared. It felt a bit stupid to think that was a possibility, but even still. There were holes in the logic. “But they call you back. You cannot stay away. It is…strange.” Brows furrowed, Metzli deep in thought as they tried their best to formulate a string of words that made sense, or at least struck a chord with Nora. “It is okay to love mines, but it changes when you cannot be something without it.”

When the word love was tossed in with the description of the mines, it was a little alarming, though the vampire wasn’t sure why. Or maybe they did. Because before Metzli had the time to think, words tumbled out of their mouth. “I love you but do not hold you to one place. Maybe I am…” They scratched their head, struggling with words. “Maybe I am confusion. I do not think I can understand, and I do not want to be shown what is deeper. I am sorry, Osito. I hope you are not mad.”

“Is it strange to go back to something you love?” Nora asked, tilting her head. Her tongue worked her lip ring, flipping it around in a circle as she considered. “You would always go back to Leila right? Because you love her?” Maybe Nora didn’t know much about love. Her dads were in love, the way they looked at each other often made Nora think that surely there wasn’t room for anyone else in their world. It was a look she’d often longed for someone to look at her with, but monsters were not made for love. Perhaps, it was like that with the mines? Maybe she could love the mines so deeply because she was a monster? Cass claimed she liked the mines, but did she actually? Or was she just happy to be where Nora was.

“I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for the mines. You hear me when I say that, right? Look at me.” Nora turned again, showing off her gently glowing crystals in all their glory. “I think to love me, is to love the mines. Because the mines made me.” Nora wished she could understand why people were so hesitant about the mines. Why people told her to be weary? “I’m not mad. I just wish I could show you what I see. I just want to share my happiness.”

“No. That is not strange part.” Metzli shook their head in disagreement. Of course they’d go back to Leila, and maybe Nora had a point there, but there still seemed to be something lacking in the logic. Yes, they looked forward to the evenings after a long day at work, but it wasn’t an obsession that conjured about the need to bring others toward her, to worship. Though most nights, Metzli was sure the way they treated Leila bordered pretty close.

“I am looking.” And they were, albeit with a tinge of worry pinching their brows together. Had Nora truly died? Would she die if she stayed away too long? That wasn’t something Metzli could let happen, if that was the case. “Maybe the mines make you this, but you are more than just the crystals on your body. I loved you before the mines and I will still love you now.”

“There is nothing strange about this. I have found a place to be happy. A place where I can be myself, a place where I can exist and be me. Be Nora. Don’t you see? People don’t get to be that lucky. I’m getting lucky. There is nothing strange about it.” Nora should have been aware that the strange part was the amount of words she used to defend her choice. How everything inside of her screamed for her to change for the mines, to become the perfect vassal of its wishes. That was strange.

“I love me now. I love me, like this. I want everyone to feel that about themselves. You could too. You could feel this, Metzli. You could be happy here. Everyone can be happy here. You can bring Leila. Wouldn’t that be nice? We could all be down here together. We could have dinner together everyday. Just think about it, please? Just promise me you’ll think about it.”

Metzli tilted their head curiously, growing concern pinching their shoulders together. Their back straightened, mind unsettled at the way Nora’s obsession was altering her. Whatever the crystals were doing, it was so obviously not reflective of what Metzli knew Nora to be, and they were fairly certain that the image they had was accurate. Nora was fiercely honest about who she was, acceptance necessary for any sort of mutual respect to be cemented.

The crystals were altering her, bidding her to practically beg. Another thing Metzli knew Nora wouldn’t do. Someone like her, despite needing to be accepted for who she was, had too much pride and self-respect to beg for anything. Metzli didn’t feel right leaving her, but they knew they couldn’t stay. So, maybe just for the evening, they’d play their part in their love for Nora, and give her the peace of mind she sought after. Altered mind, or not.

Though, the dinners every night sounded like a dream come true. But the vampire knew they could do that outside the cave. A conversation for later, they thought.

“Okay.” They nodded once, face back to neutral. “I promise to think about it.” All of it, really. The worry, the overabundance of words spoken by Nora, how beautiful she did look…everything. Metzli stood up from their seat, closing the distance and gently place their arm over Nora’s shoulders. “Give me a tour. I will need to leave to leave in a few hours, but I want to spend time with you.”

Made out of crystal, Nora was resplendent. But Nora felt even more resplendent as Metzli agreed to think about it, and agreed to stay for a few hours. A few hours was all Nora needed. A few hours was enough for the mines to charm someone, and make them realize how this could be the home everyone wanted. A few hours was enough time to accidentally brush a piece of flesh against one of the many purple crystals and hopefully, just hopefully, become resplendent themselves.

Nora reached forward, without hesitation and without second thought, grabbing for Metzli’s hand, careful that the talons didn’t pierce anything they shouldn’t pierce. “You’re going to love it.” Nora told them. Because they had to love it. Because everyone had to love it. The whole city could move down here. The mines could expand, they could grow and flourish. Wicked’s Rest could become a ghost town, forgotten by the world, as all the citizens moved into the darkness of the caverns, away from the hot and annoying sun.

Nora led Metzli deeper and deeper, into the belly of the beast. Letting the darkness swallow them whole, consume them, devour them. Willing for that darkness to never let them go. Nora pointed out rocks that Cass had told her about, and she pointed out caverns where she’d seen other crystalline creatures hanging out. Nora was putting on a production. As if the more she shared of the mines, the more Metzli would be able to embrace.

Eventually they ended up in the home cavern, where Nora lived. “This is home. It could be your home too. Look how big it is.” Nora pointed towards a fort set up in the back. “That’s where Cass and I sleep. You can sleep in there too, or you and Leila can have your own fort. That would be nice.” They would need more blankets. Did amazon deliver blankets down here? “Just think about it. Everyone we love. Down here. Safe in the mines.”

They didn’t think it possible, for reverence to drip from Nora’s tongue the way it did. Maybe it was easier in her current state, something so obviously manipulating her. As if it was mocking her very existence by twisting her into a person she was not. It was hard for Metzli to watch, truly. Nora had been her own person, but now? She existed for something outside of her control, outside of the connections she had built herself.

The whole ordeal was cruel, and it was all Metzli could do to keep themself from brushing against a crystal. They were grateful they had layered so much to protect themself from the sun, granting them a suitable barrier. Metzli knew that it’d be over for them if they lost their autonomy. They needed to have their wits about them if they were going to figure out a way to detach Nora from the crystals, as painful as it would be to see her disappointment. Metzli didn’t like doing things that upset their loved ones, artificial or not. The crystals were a parasite.

“Home is above, Nora. Not down here.” Kneeling in front of Nora, Metzli was careful to avoid crystals. “Where we have dinners and celebrate births, and take walks at night, and enjoy the entire world.” They took a deep breath, sighing apologetically. “I have to return above, but it is beautiful, like you say, and I will visit as much as I can and maybe we can have a dinner down here one night.” Metzli’s eyes met with Nora’s, and they gently cupped her cheek to bring her head to theirs. “I promise I will return. Thank you for showing me around. Being with you was very nice.”

At her core, Nora was still in there. Metzli had seen it on Cass’s birthday, her love for her friend winning out against the crystals. They had no doubt she’d save herself, somehow. And if she couldn’t, Metzli made a silent promise to jump in whenever she needed, keeping a watchful eye even if the cave walls separated them.

Because that’s what you did for family.

The tour had been over too quick, they had circled the path Nora took daily, and ended back at the entrance. Metzli was kneeling in front of Nora, one of the few times Nora had gotten a good look at Metzli’s face. Because Metzli was normally so tall, so stoic, a tower surveying the field. “Home is the mines.” Some people thought home was where the heart was. But Nora’s heart was beating in the mines, the shafts were its arteries, and the real world was an open bleeding wound. The people who she loved were drowning out there, they weren’t happy. They could never be. Not until they were safe inside.

“We can celebrate all of that here.” Nora insisted. “We can still go out for night walks if you want.” Maybe. There wasn’t really a point. Why would you want to walk out night in the above world, when it was always night down in the mines? Where darkness cradled them and protected them. It shielded their eyes against the sun. It would shield Metzli. Wasn’t that good for a vampire? It frustrated Nora that they didn’t see it. That they were letting themself ignore the mines for the above world. And for why? What did the above world have that was better than the mines? Nora knew the answer to that, and it was nothing. “Leila will come, if you come Metzli. I know she will. It won’t be a problem.”

But Metzli wanted to return to the real world. Nora sighed. “Okay. Come back often. And stay whenever. You’re always welcome here. Okay?” Because inside she could hear the mines screaming at her. They screamed to do anything to make sure that Metzli didn’t leave. Shove them into a crystal, or hold them until they agreed to stay. But Nora wanted them to stay in the mines because they loved them as much as Nora did. Not because she had tricked them into staying. “Thank you for coming. It was nice. It’ll be nicer when you agree to stay.” Nora eyed a crystal near them. Something inside her fought it, something inside her told her not to do it. Nora’s eyes shifted away, shaking herself to get over that weird feeling.

“Next time you’re here, we’ll have discovered more cool places. I’ll have more caverns to show you. Cass will have more cool rocks. It’ll be nice. It will be really nice.” Nora promised. It was a promise to get Metzli interested in coming back. This way, maybe the mines would be placated. Because the mines were never happy when she let someone slip past her and back into the world.

#chatzy #chatzy: metzli #let us adore you

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